We found strong evidence to support beneficial effects of child obesity prevention programmes on BMI, particularly for programmes targeted to children aged six to 12 years. However, given the unexplained heterogeneity and the likelihood of small study bias, these findings must be interpreted cautiously. A broad range of programme components were used in these studies and whilst it is not possible to distinguish which of these components contributed most to the beneficial effects observed, our synthesis indicates the following to be promising policies and strategies:
·         school curriculum that includes healthy eating, physical activity and body image
·         increased sessions for physical activity and the development of fundamental movement skills throughout the school week
·         improvements in nutritional quality of the food supply in schools
·         environments and cultural practices that support children eating healthier foods and being active throughout each day
·         support for teachers and other staff to implement health promotion strategies and activities (e.g. professional development, capacity building activities)
·         parent support and home activities that encourage children to be more active, eat more nutritious foods and spend less time in screen based activities
However, study and evaluation designs need to be strengthened, and reporting extended to capture process and implementation factors, outcomes in relation to measures of equity, longer term outcomes, potential harms and costs.
Childhood obesity prevention research must now move towards identifying how effective intervention components can be embedded within health, education and care systems and achieve long term sustainable impacts.
Reducing overweight through a multidisciplinary school-based intervention.
This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary elementary school-based intervention entitled Wellness, Academics & You. The primary areas of impact examined were BMI, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and physical activity.
                The sample consisted of 1013 students in fourth and fifth grades from 69 classes in four states. Intervention and comparison classes were randomly selected at each school. Intervention teachers participated in workshops on the intervention and received program materials. BMI was calculated for baseline and post-data points based on measured height and weight collected by trained research teams. Baseline surveys were administered by the students' teacher in the presence of one of the research team members and collected.
                SPSS (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL) analysis of post-data shows significant positive shifts (p = 0.01) in BMI in the intervention group compared with the comparison group. Notable increases in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased physical activity levels were reported in the intervention group.
                Data from this study indicate that this school-based program may contribute to the reduction of overweight and obesity. The intervention was well received by the classroom teachers and shows promise for a school-based obesity prevention initiative. This program has shown the capacity to effect positive changes in BMI through consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity. The evaluation covered a limited time period and, therefore, warrants additional studies to determine whether long-term program fidelity will result in continued improvement.