Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .
Long-Term Effect of a School-Based Physical Activity Program (KISS) on Fitness and Adiposity in Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Background School-based intervention studies promoting a healthy lifestyle have shown favorable immediate health effects . However , there is a striking paucity on long-term follow-ups . The aim of this study was therefore to assess the 3 yr-follow-up of a cluster-r and omized controlled school-based physical activity program over nine month with beneficial immediate effects on body fat , aerobic fitness and physical activity . Methods and Findings Initially , 28 classes from 15 elementary schools in Switzerl and were grouped into an intervention ( 16 classes from 9 schools , n = 297 children ) and a control arm ( 12 classes from 6 schools , n = 205 children ) after stratification for grade ( 1st and 5th grade rs ) . Three years after the end of the multi-component physical activity program of nine months including daily physical education ( i.e. two additional lessons per week on top of three regular lessons ) , short physical activity breaks during academic lessons , and daily physical activity homework , 289 ( 58 % ) participated in the follow-up . Primary outcome measures included body fat ( sum of four skinfolds ) , aerobic fitness ( shuttle run test ) , physical activity ( accelerometry ) , and quality of life ( question naires ) . After adjustment for grade , gender , baseline value and clustering within classes , children in the intervention arm compared with controls had a significantly higher average level of aerobic fitness at follow-up ( 0.373 z-score units [ 95%-CI : 0.157 to 0.59 , p = 0.001 ] corresponding to a shift from the 50th to the 65th percentile between baseline and follow-up ) , while the immediate beneficial effects on the other primary outcomes were not sustained . Conclusions Apart from aerobic fitness , beneficial effects seen after one year were not maintained when the intervention was stopped . A continuous intervention seems necessary to maintain overall beneficial health effects as reached at the end of the intervention . Trial Registration ControlledTrials.com IS RCT
Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .