Commonly employed behaviour change techniques within successful interventions included goals and planning , feedback and monitoring , social support and repetition and substitution .
Conclusions Walking interventions , particularly those conducted in the school environment , have the potential to increase PA in children and adolescents .
Conclusions on which interventions most effectively increased walking behaviours in this population were hindered by the limited number of identified interventions and the short duration of interventions evaluated .
Background  Physical activity ( PA ) levels decline as children move into adolescence , with this decline more notable in girls .
As a consequence , many young people are failing to meet current PA guidelines .
Walking has been a cornerstone of PA promotion in adults and may provide an effective means of increasing PA levels among younger people .
Objective Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of interventions aim ed at promoting increased levels of walking  among children and adolescents .
Effects of a 15-week accumulated brisk walking programme on the body composition of primary school children
Abstract The purpose of this study was to establish whether an accumulated brisk walking programme , performed during the school day , is effective in changing body composition in primary school children aged 5–11 years . Altogether , 152 participants ( 79 boys and 73 girls ) took part in this repeated- measures intervention study , divided into groups of walkers and controls . The walkers took part in the intervention during school time , which involved brisk walking around the school grounds for 15 min in the morning and afternoon , at least three times a week for 15 weeks . This represented an additional 90 min of moderate physical activity per week . The controls undertook their usual school day activities . Pre- and post-intervention anthropometric and body composition measures were taken . Body fat ( −1.95 ± 2.6 % ) and fat mass ( −0.49 ± 1.0 kg ) were significantly reduced in the walkers after the intervention , whereas the controls showed no significant changes in these measures . Our results show that regular accumulated bouts of brisk walking during the school day can positively affect body composition in primary school children
Commonly employed behaviour change techniques within successful interventions included goals and planning , feedback and monitoring , social support and repetition and substitution .
Conclusions Walking interventions , particularly those conducted in the school environment , have the potential to increase PA in children and adolescents .
Conclusions on which interventions most effectively increased walking behaviours in this population were hindered by the limited number of identified interventions and the short duration of interventions evaluated .
Background  Physical activity ( PA ) levels decline as children move into adolescence , with this decline more notable in girls .
As a consequence , many young people are failing to meet current PA guidelines .
Walking has been a cornerstone of PA promotion in adults and may provide an effective means of increasing PA levels among younger people .
Objective Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of interventions aim ed at promoting increased levels of walking  among children and adolescents .