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 .
Physical activity from childhood to adulthood: a 21-year tracking study.
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate stability of physical activity  from childhood and adolescence to adulthood in multiple age cohorts , and analyze how well adult physical activity can be predicted by various physical activity variables measured in childhood and adolescence . METHODS The data were drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study . The study was started in 1980 , when cohorts of r and omly sample d boys and girls aged 3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 , and 18 years ( total of 2309 subjects ) were examined for the first time . The measurements were repeated in 1983 , 1986 , 1989 , 1992 , and 2001 . In 2001 , the subjects ( n = 1563 , 68 % ) were aged 24 , 27 , 30 , 33 , 36 , and 39 years , respectively .  Physical activity  was measured by means of a short self-report question naire that was administered individually in connection with a medical examination . On the basis of a question naire , a physical activity index ( PAI ) was calculated . There were no significant differences in the 1980 PAI between participants and dropouts in 2001 . RESULTS Spearmans rank order correlation coefficients for the 21-year tracking period varied from 0.33 to 0.44 in males , and from 0.14 to 0.26 in females . At shorter time intervals the correlation was higher . On average , the tracking correlation was lower in females than in males . Persistent physical activity , defined as a score in the most active third of the PAI in two or three consecutive measurements , increased the odds that an individual would be active in adulthood . Odds ratios for 3-year continuous activity versus continuous inactivity varied from 4.30 to 7.10 in males and 2.90 to 5.60 in females . The corresponding odds ratios for 6-year persistence were 8.70 to 10.80 and 5.90 to 9.40 . CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that a high level of physical activity at ages 9 to 18 , especially when continuous , significantly predicted a high level of adult physical activity . Although the correlations were low or moderate , we consider it important that school-age physical activity appears to influence adult physical activity , and through it , the public health of the general population
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 .