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.
The Fun, Food, and Fitness Project (FFFP): the Baylor GEMS pilot study.
The Girls health Enrichment Multisite Studies (GEMS) Fun, Food, and Fitness Project (FFFP) was designed to prevent obesity among 8-year-old African-American girls.
                Twelve-week, two-arm parallel group randomized controlled pilot study.
                Summer day camp and homes in Houston, Texas.
                Thirty-five girls and their parents or caregivers were randomly assigned to treatment (N=19) or control groups (N=16).
                Girls in the intervention group attended a special 4-week summer day camp, followed by a special 8-week home Internet intervention for the girls and their parents. Control group girls attended a different 4-week summer day camp, followed by a monthly home Internet intervention, neither of which components included the GEMS-FFFP enhancements.
                Body mass index (BMI), consumption of fruit, 100% fruit juice, and vegetables (FJV), physical activity.
                After adjusting for baseline BMI, there were no significant differences in BMI between treatment and control group girls, either at the end of the 4-week summer day camp, or after the full 12-week intervention. By the end of the summer camp, the subgroup of treatment group girls heavier at baseline exhibited a trend (P<.08) toward lower BMI, compared to their heavier counterparts in the control group. Overall results at the end of the 12-week program demonstrated substantial, although not significant, differences between treatment and control groups in the hypothesized directions. On average, less than half the treatment sample logged onto the Website, which limited intervention dose.
                Summer day camp appears to offer promise for initiating health behavior change. Effective methods must be developed and tested to enhance log-on rates among healthy children and their parents before Internet programs can achieve their potential.