Among children , these interventions demonstrated reduced screen time , increased physical activity , and improved diet- and weight-related outcomes .
CONTEXT Sedentary time spent with screen media is associated with obesity among children and adults .
Obesity has potentially serious health consequences , such as heart disease and diabetes .
This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness and economic efficiency of behavioral interventions aim ed at reducing recreational ( i.e. , neither school- nor work-related ) sedentary screen time , as measured by screen time , physical activity , diet , and weight-related outcomes .
A translational research intervention to reduce screen behaviours and promote physical activity among children: Switch-2-Activity.
Translational or implementation research that assesses the effectiveness of strategies to promote health behaviours among children that have been previously tested under ' ideal ' conditions is rarely reported . Switch-2-Activity aim ed to examine the effectiveness of an abbreviated programme delivered by teachers targeting children 's television viewing , computer use , physical activity and potential mediators of behaviour change . Fifteen schools from disadvantaged areas in Melbourne , Australia agreed to participate in the study ( 43 % school-level response rate ) . Out of the 1566 Grade s 5 and 6 ( 9 - 12 year old ) children invited to take part in the study , 1048 ( 67 % response rate ) provided informed consent . Schools were r and omized to either an intervention or wait-list control condition . Teachers delivered six lessons , which included strategies such as self-monitoring , behavioural contracting and budgeting of screen time . Children completed a self-report survey at baseline and post-intervention examining screen-based behaviours , physical activity , self-efficacy and behavioural capability . Teachers reported implementation of and attitudes to the programme . Seventy-one per cent of teachers delivered at least four of the six lessons . Most teachers reported that the material s were easy to follow and deliver ; however , many teachers reported modifying the material s in some way . Among boys , there were favourable small intervention effects on weekend screen time [ ( coefficient = -0.62 , 95 % 95 % confidence interval : -1.15 , -0.10 , p = 0.020 ) ] . The intervention also had significant positive effects on children 's self-efficacy for reducing television viewing and on behavioural capability ( television viewing styles ) . Future studies that assess the translation of efficacious programmes and that test whether such programmes are equally effective in different setting s ( e.g. in the family setting ) are urgently required
Among children , these interventions demonstrated reduced screen time , increased physical activity , and improved diet- and weight-related outcomes .
CONTEXT Sedentary time spent with screen media is associated with obesity among children and adults .
Obesity has potentially serious health consequences , such as heart disease and diabetes .
This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness and economic efficiency of behavioral interventions aim ed at reducing recreational ( i.e. , neither school- nor work-related ) sedentary screen time , as measured by screen time , physical activity , diet , and weight-related outcomes .