High dropout rates and low compliance to pediatric weight-management programs have been reported. Socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity have been suggested as potentially important determinants of dropout and non-compliance. This review aims to assess the association between SES, ethnicity and study- and intervention dropout and non-compliance among participants in pediatric weight-management programs.

PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, Web-of-Science and Google Scholar were searched for eligible studies up to March 2014. Included were randomised controlled trials (RCT), controlled clinical trials and cohort studies evaluating pediatric weight-management programs. Studies had to report dropout or non-compliance to the study or intervention with regard to ethnicity or SES. Associations between SES and ethnicity and dropout and non-compliance were analysed descriptively.

Fourteen RCTs and 16 cohort studies were included, studying 7264 children and adolescents, aged 2–20 years. Twenty-four studies presented data on dropout or non-compliance regarding ethnicity and 26 studies presented data regarding SES. Black participants showed higher dropout rates in weight-management interventions (range 65–67%) than White participants (range 22–27%), and low family income was associated with lower compliance to weight-management interventions.

Black ethnicity and low family income seemed to be associated with higher dropout and lower compliance to pediatric weight-management interventions. Future qualitative studies may be needed to assess underlying reasons for increased dropout and non-compliance in these sub-populations.