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 .
Effects of a controlled trial of a school-based exercise program on the obesity indexes of preschool children.
Exercise has been found to be effective for prevention of weight gain and maintenance of a stable weight in adults . The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a school-based aerobic exercise program on the obesity indexes of preschool children . Subjects were 292 second-year elementary school pupils from 2 kindergartens in Hat Yai municipality , Songkhla province , southern Thail and . A specially design ed exercise program , including a 15-min walk before beginning the morning class and a 20-min aerobic dance session after the afternoon nap , 3 times a week , was conducted for 29.6 wk . Weight , height , and triceps skinfold thickness were measured 4 times . At the end of the study , the prevalence of obesity , using 95th percentile National Center for Health Statistics triceps-skinfold-thickness cutoffs , of both the exercise and control groups decreased . That of the exercise group decreased from 12.2 % at baseline to 8.8 % ( Wilcoxon signed-rank test , P = 0.058 ) , whereas that of the control group decreased from 11.7 % to 9.7 % ( Wilcoxon signed-rank test , P = 0.179 ) . A sex difference in the response of body mass index ( BMI ) to exercise was observed . Girls in the exercise group had a lower likelihood of having an increasing BMI slope than the control girls did ( odds ratio : 0.32 ; 95 % CI : 0.18 , 0.56 ) . In conclusion , our study suggests that a 29.6-wk school-based exercise program can prevent BMI gain in girls and may induce a remission of obesity in preschool-age children
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 .