Electroacupuncture for abdominal obesity: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of obesity is rising, significantly impacting health and quality of life. Effective treatment is crucial, particularly for abdominal obesity (AO). Electroacupuncture (EA), which combines acupuncture and moxibustion with electric current, shows promise but lacks reliable clinical evidence for its efficacy and safety. Therefore, a meta-analysis is essential to assess the clinical effectiveness of EA in treating AO.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Allied and Alternative Medicine (AMED) databases will be conducted from database inception to 1 June 2024 to identify randomised controlled trials investigating the effectiveness and safety of EA in treating AO. Two authors will independently carry out data extraction and evaluate the risk of bias. RevMan software (V.5.4) will be used for data analysis, and publication bias will be assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test. The quality of evidence will be evaluated according to Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation, and trial sequence analysis will be used to calculate the final total sample size required for the meta-analysis. The primary outcome will be the measurement of waist circumference. Secondary outcomes will include the quality of life, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, body fat percentage, visceral fat thickness and serum markers such as triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The data will be pooled and analysed, with subgroup analyses conducted if needed.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This systematic review and meta-analysis does not require ethical approval because the data for this review will be extracted from already published journal articles. The protocol for this review has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). This review and its findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at scientific conferences.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42024562984.