There was some evidence that school-based physical activity interventions had a positive impact on four of the nine outcome measures .
Specifically positive effects were observed for duration of physical activity , television viewing , VO2 max , and blood cholesterol .
Generally , school-based interventions had little effect on physical activity rates , systolic and diastolic blood pressure , BMI , and pulse rate .
At a minimum , a combination of printed educational material s and changes to the school curriculum that promote physical activity result ed in positive effects .
Few changes in outcomes were observed in this up date with the exception of blood cholesterol and physical activity rates .
For example blood cholesterol was no longer positively impacted upon by school-based physical activity interventions .
The evidence suggests the ongoing implementation of school-based physical activity interventions at this time , given the positive effects on behavior and one physical health status measure .
BACKGROUND The World Health Organization ( WHO ) estimates that 1.9 million deaths worldwide are attributable to physical inactivity and at least 2.6 million deaths are a result of being overweight or obese .
In addition , WHO estimates that physical inactivity causes 10 % to 16 % of cases each of breast cancer , colon , and rectal cancers as well as type 2 diabetes , and 22 % of coronary heart disease and the burden of these and other chronic diseases has rapidly increased in recent decades .
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence of the effectiveness of school-based interventions in promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents .
Change in body mass index in Australian primary school children, 1985–1997
BACKGROUND : Childhood obesity is an important , potentially modifiable risk factor for a range of concurrent and later morbidities . Despite concerns about recent increases in children 's body mass index ( BMI ) , supporting data in Australia ( as elsewhere ) are scant . OBJECTIVE : To seek anthropometric evidence of a recent secular increase in BMI in primary school children in Victoria , Australia . DESIGN : Data from two cross-sectional population -based surveys  of primary school children ( the Victorian sub sample of the 1985 Australian Health and Fitness Survey and the 1997 Health of Young Victorians Study ) were compared . Similar stratified r and om sampling and st and ardized measurement methods were employed in the two studies . Subjects were all children aged 7–12 y with complete height and weight data .  Body mass index ( BMI ( weight/height2 ) ) was used as the index of relative adiposity . Non-parametric and parametric methods were used to examine the pattern and magnitude of change in BMI over the 12 y interval . RESULTS : Data for 1421 children ( 50 % male , 68 % response ) from the 1985 survey and 2277 children ( 51 % male , 75 % response ) from the 1997 survey were analysed . At all ages , mean height and median weight were greater in 1997 than 1985 for both boys and girls . Median BMI was significantly higher in the 1997 sample for all but 12 y-old girls and for boys aged 7 , 8 and 10 y ( Mann – Whitney U test ) . The magnitude of the overall increase in BMI was estimated using analysis of covariance for log-transformed BMI adjusted for exact age , which indicated an increase of 1.03 kg/m2 for boys and 1.04 kg/m2 for girls ( both P<0.001 ) . Plots of BMI against BMI percentile clearly showed a pattern of higher BMI at any given percentile , especially at the upper percentiles , for all ages and both genders . CONCLUSIONS : Primary school children in Victoria have become more obese over the last decade . Increases in BMI are most marked at the heavier end of the distribution . Lesser increases in median and mean BMI ( confirmed by both parametric and non-parametric statistical models ) may also have major public health implication
There was some evidence that school-based physical activity interventions had a positive impact on four of the nine outcome measures .
Specifically positive effects were observed for duration of physical activity , television viewing , VO2 max , and blood cholesterol .
Generally , school-based interventions had little effect on physical activity rates , systolic and diastolic blood pressure , BMI , and pulse rate .
At a minimum , a combination of printed educational material s and changes to the school curriculum that promote physical activity result ed in positive effects .
Few changes in outcomes were observed in this up date with the exception of blood cholesterol and physical activity rates .
For example blood cholesterol was no longer positively impacted upon by school-based physical activity interventions .
The evidence suggests the ongoing implementation of school-based physical activity interventions at this time , given the positive effects on behavior and one physical health status measure .
BACKGROUND The World Health Organization ( WHO ) estimates that 1.9 million deaths worldwide are attributable to physical inactivity and at least 2.6 million deaths are a result of being overweight or obese .
In addition , WHO estimates that physical inactivity causes 10 % to 16 % of cases each of breast cancer , colon , and rectal cancers as well as type 2 diabetes , and 22 % of coronary heart disease and the burden of these and other chronic diseases has rapidly increased in recent decades .
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence of the effectiveness of school-based interventions in promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents .