Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .
Active commuting to school: Associations with environment and parental concerns.
PURPOSE This study examined the association of objective and perceived neighborhood environmental characteristics and parent concerns with  active commuting to school  , investigated whether parental concerns varied by environmental characteristics , and compared the association of the perceived environment , parental concerns , and objective environment on the outcome active commuting to school . METHODS R and omly selected parents of children ( aged 5 - 18 yr ) , in neighborhoods chosen for their variability in objective ly measured walkability and income , completed question naires about their neighborhood environment , concerns about children walking to school , and children 's behavior ( N = 259 ) . Objective measures of the environment were available for each participant and each neighborhood . Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships among environment , parental concerns , and walking or biking to or from school  at least once a week . RESULTS A parental concerns scale was most strongly associated with child active commuting ( odds ratio : 5.2 , 95 % CI : 2.71 - 9.96 ) . In high-income neighborhoods , more children actively commuted in high-walkable ( 34 % ) than in low-walkable neighborhoods ( 23 % ) ( odds ratio : 2.1 , 95 % CI : 1.12 - 3.97 ) , but no differences were noted in low-income neighborhoods . Parent concerns and neighborhood aesthetics were independently associated with active commuting . Perceived access to local stores and biking or walking facilities accounted for some of the effect of walkability on active commuting . CONCLUSION Both parent concerns and the built environment were associated with children 's  active commuting to school . To increase active commuting to school , interventions that include both environmental change and education campaigns may be needed
Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .