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 .
Lessons learned from Action Schools! BC--an 'active school' model to promote physical activity in elementary schools.
The ' active school ' model offers promise for promoting school-based physical activity ( PA ) ; however , few intervention trials have evaluated its effectiveness . Thus , our purpose was to : ( 1 ) describe Action Schools ! BC ( AS ! BC ) and its implementation ( fidelity and feasibility ) and ( 2 ) evaluate the impact of AS ! BC on school provision of PA . Ten elementary schools were r and omly assigned to one of the three conditions : Usual Practice  ( UP , three schools ) ,  Liaison  ( LS , four schools ) or Champion ( CS , three schools ) . Teachers in LS and CS schools received AS ! BC training and re sources but differed on the level of facilitation provided . UP schools continued with regular PA . Delivery of PA during the 11-month intervention was assessed with weekly Activity Logs and intervention fidelity and feasibility were assessed using Action Plans , workshop evaluations , teacher surveys and focus groups with administrators , teachers , parents and students . Physical activity delivered was significantly greater in LS ( + 67.4 min/week ; 95 % CI : 18.7 - 116.1 ) and CS ( + 55.2 min/week ; 95 % CI : 26.4 - 83.9 ) schools than UP schools . Analysis of Action Plans and Activity Logs showed fidelity to the model and moderate levels of compliance ( 75 % ) . Teachers were highly satisfied with training and support . Benefits of AS ! BC included positive changes in the children and school climate , including provision of re sources , improved communication and program flexibility . These results support the use of the ' active school ' model to positively alter the school environment . The AS ! BC model was effective , providing more opportunities for " more children to be more active more often " and as such has the potential to provide health benefits to elementary school 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 .