Comparative effectiveness of school‐based interventions targeting physical activity, physical fitness or sedentary behaviour on obesity prevention in 6‐ to 12‐year‐old children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

A systematic search of the literature was performed to compare the effects of interventions that targeted sedentary behaviours or physical activity (PA) or physical fitness on primary prevention of obesity in 6-to 12-year-old children. The search identified 146 reports that provided relevant data for meta-analysis. Point estimates in % body fat were higher for fitness interventions compared with PA interventions (standardized mean difference = −0.11%; 95% CI = −0.26 to 0.04, and −0.04%; 95% CI = −0.15 to 0.06, respectively). Including sedentary behaviour to a PA-or fitness-oriented intervention was not accompanied by an increase in intervention effectiveness, as the point estimates were slightly smaller compared with those for PA-or fitness-only interventions. Overall, the effects tended to be larger in girls than in boys, especially for PA + sedentary behaviour interventions. There was some evidence for inequality, as the effects on body mass index were seen when interventions were delivered in the general population (standardized mean difference = −0.05, 95% CI = −0.07 to −0.02), but not in groups of disadvantaged children (standardized mean difference = −0.01, 95% CI = −0.29 to 0.19). In conclusion, school-based PA interventions appear to be an effective strategy in the primary prevention of childhood obesity among 6-to 12-year-old children, but targeting sedentary behaviour in addition to PA or fitness does not increase the effectiveness of the intervention.

The Effects of a Yearlong Recess Intervention on Body Fat Shifts in Elementary-Aged Children

“…By sex, more females than expected in both groups decreased a body fat category, whereas males did not. This is consistent with Podnar and colleagues [42] systematic review that showed many school-based programs demonstrate a strong intervention effect in females and only borderline effects in males. This is interesting as females are commonly shown to engage in less MVPA than males throughout the day [28,43].…”

Screen-based behaviour in children is more than meets the eye

“…Interventions should include all stakeholders who engage with this serious health concern, including parents and educators. 10 , 14 …”

School-related sedentary behaviours and indicators of health and well-being among children and youth: a systematic review

“…For instance, these reviews have only examined experimental study designs. Some reviews examined any school-related intervention [ 19 , 23 ], while the others were specific to recess [ 25 ], classrooms [ 22 , 26 ], or standing desks in particular [ 20 , 21 , 24 ]. The two reviews that examined any school-related interventions were specific to adiposity indicators in primary school-aged children [ 23 ], and physical activity in older adolescents [ 19 ].…”

“…Some reviews examined any school-related intervention [ 19 , 23 ], while the others were specific to recess [ 25 ], classrooms [ 22 , 26 ], or standing desks in particular [ 20 , 21 , 24 ]. The two reviews that examined any school-related interventions were specific to adiposity indicators in primary school-aged children [ 23 ], and physical activity in older adolescents [ 19 ]. Further, of the reviews examining a broad spectrum of health and well-being indicators, two were specific to standing desk interventions [ 20 , 24 ] and the other was specific to recess [ 25 ].…”