Search

Schools are ideal settings to promote adolescent physical activity (PA), yet school-based interventions have shown limited long-term impact. This position paper presents key issues surrounding school-based PA interventions. Collaborative conceptual thinking drawing on multi-author expertise and available evidence advanced our understanding and opinion. Key arguments: 1) the adoption of a systems approach, which maximizes partnership action and leverages policy, is crucial for understanding the complexities of implementing whole-school programs; 2) a reorientation to an assets perspective optimizes existing strengths and resources allowing greater emphasis on the full range of physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits that PA provides, and 3) a move beyond traditional positivist research designs to advance our knowledge of what works better, for whom and in what context is needed for greater progress We provide suggestions, specifically advocating for systems approaches, as a realistic way to improve how we support PA in schools in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2017;34(3):256-8. 12 Leask CF, Sandlund M, Skelton DA, et al Framework, principles and recommendations for utilising participatory methodologies in the co-creation and evaluation of public health interventions. I This article looks at the Health CASCADE project, a European-funded Innovative Training Network project that aims to advance co-creation into a rigorous scientific methodology with evidence-based methods, practices and supportive technologies. i Graph The promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the creation of supportive environments are necessary to decrease the burden of disease on society. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To identify family- and school-based correlates of specific energy balance-related behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, breakfast consumption, soft drink consumption) among 10-12-year-olds, using the EnRG framework (Environmental Research framework for weight Gain prevention).Design: A literature review to identify observational studies exploring at least one family- or school-based correlate of the specific behaviours, resulting in seventy-six articles.Setting: Eighteen studies were conducted in Europe, forty-one studies in North America and seventeen studies in Australasia.Subjects: Healthy children aged 10-12 years.Results: Parental and maternal physical activity, doing physical activities with parents and parental logistic support were identified as the most important, positive correlates of physical activity. Parental rules was the most important correlate of sedentary behaviour and was inversely related to it. School socio-economic status was positively related to physical activity and inversely related to sedentary behaviour. The available studies suggested a positive relationship between soft drink availability at home and consumption. Soft drink availability and consumption at school were the most important school-based correlates of soft drink consumption. A permissive parenting style was related to more soft drink consumption and less breakfast consumption.Conclusions: An important role has been awarded to parents, suggesting parents should be involved in obesity prevention programmes. Despite the opportunities a school can offer, little research has been done to identify school-environmental correlates of energy balance-related behaviours in this age group. Obesity prevention programmes can focus on the most important correlates to maximize the effectiveness of the programme. Future research should aim at longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Within the ENERGY-project [1] , a school-based intervention to reduce and to break up sedentary time (UP4FUN) was developed for children aged 10 to 12 years. This study examined the UP4FUN intervention effect on objectively measured overall sedentary time and sedentary pattern variables among Belgian children. Sedentary pattern variables included number of breaks in sedentary time, number of sedentary bouts (≥ 10 minutes) and total and average amount of time spent in those sedentary bouts. Methods The six weeks intervention was tested in a randomized controlled trial with pre-test post-test design with five intervention and five control schools in Belgium. The total sample included 354 children from the 5th and 6th grade (mean age: 10.9 ± 0.7 years; 59% girls) with valid ActiGraph accelerometer data at both pre- and post-test. Multilevel analyses were conducted to take clustering of children in schools into account. Results There were no significant intervention effects on the overall sedentary time and only few and small intervention effects were found on sedentary pattern variables, namely on total time spent in sedentary bouts immediately after school hours (95% CI = –6.70; –0.31) and on average time spent in sedentary bouts before school hours (95% CI = –8.65; –1.00) and immediately after school hours (95% CI = –4.41; –1.02) in favour of children from intervention schools. Unexpectedly, girls from intervention schools decreased the number of breaks during school hours (95% CI = –34.37; –9.68) and increased the number of sedentary bouts on a weekend day (95% CI = 0.14;1.67), whereas girls in control schools showed an increase in number of breaks and a decrease in number of bouts. Conclusions In conclusion, UP4FUN did not have a consistent or substantial effect on children's overall sedentary time and on breaking up sedentary time. These data suggest that more intensive and longer lasting interventions are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is a worldwide health problem and is already manifesting in elementary school and even preschool children. Childhood overweight is associated with serious health problems, the risk of premature illness and early death later in life. Furthermore, overweight in early childhood has shown to increase the likelihood of being obese in later childhood and even tracks into adulthood in one-third to one-half of cases. A recent cross-sectional study within the framework of the ENERGY-project ( http://www.projectenergy.eu ) collected anthropometric data from 10- to 12-year-old children in seven European countries [1] . Results demonstrated that 25.8% of boys were overweight, from which 5.2% obese and that 21.4% of girls were overweight, from which 4.1% obese. The prevalence rates varied greatly across European countries. The results clearly established the highest prevalence rates in the more southern and central European countries, which is similar to the results of previous European studies. Also in preschool aged children, the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity has been found in southern Europe (i.e. Spain and Greece). Within the framework of the ToyBox-study ( http://www.toybox-study.eu ) secondary data analyses in four- to seven-year-old preschool children from six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain) showed that 8 to 30% of European preschool children have overweight and 1% to 13% of them are obese [2] . Further, previously published figures from developed countries show that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children under the age of five increased in developed countries from 8% in 1990 to 12% in 2010 with an expected prevalence of 14% in 2020. Estimates of childhood obesity generally tend to be higher in the US, but it appears that the gap between continents is getting smaller if US data are compared to European data. Although childhood obesity is currently showing rather stabilizing trends, the prevalence rates are still high worldwide, which suggests that childhood obesity remains a major public health issue. Changes in lifestyle behaviour are likely to be the main cause of the increase in overweight and obesity, rather than changes in biologic or genetic factors. Weight gain is determined by the cumulative effect of low levels of physical activity, high levels of sedentary behaviour, and unhealthy dietary behaviours, also referred to as energy balance-related behaviours. In this abstract, we will focus on two important energy balance-related behaviours in children: physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Establishing healthy lifestyle behaviours – such as more physical activity, and less sedentary behaviour – is already important at an early age, since these healthy energy balance-related behaviours track into later life, and even into adulthood. The preschool age may be a critical period for preventing overweight and obesity since weight-related behavior patterns and habits are not established yet. Furthermore, early childhood is the critical period for the adiposity rebound. At this age, body adipose tissue reaches a post infancy low point (typically at the age of four to six years). In this abstract, we will focus on preschoolers and elementary school children. Health behaviours may even be important at younger age, but up to now very little is known on these behaviours in toddlers. Physical activity: definition, prevalence and guidelines Physical activity can be defined as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure”. Next to the prevention of overweight, participation in sufficient levels of physical activity is also important for the motor, social and cognitive development of children. It has been recommended for elementary school children to engage in at least 60 minutes/day in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. Recently [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Weight gain is determined by the cumulative effect of low levels of physical activity, high levels of sedentary behaviour, and unhealthy dietary behaviours, also referred to as energy balance-related behaviours. The aim of the current study was to compare levels of energy balance-related behaviours in 3.5–5.5 year-old children from six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain) within the ToyBox-study ( http://www.toybox-study.eu ) [1,2] . Methods A sample of 4045 preschoolers (4.77 ± 0.43 years; 52.2% boys) had valid physical activity data (steps per day), parents/caregivers of 8117 preschoolers (4.78 ± 0.46 years; 53.0% boys) completed a parental questionnaire with questions on sedentary behaviours (TV/DVD viewing, PC/video games, and quiet play), and parents of 7244 preschoolers (4.77 ± 0.44 years; 52.0% boys) completed a food frequency questionnaire with questions on water consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and unhealthy snacking. Results Across six European countries, significant differences in preschoolers’ energy balance-related behaviours were found. The highest levels of physical activity were found in Spain (12,669 steps/day on weekdays), while the lowest levels were found in Bulgaria and Greece (9777 and 9656 steps/day on weekdays, respectively). German preschoolers spent the least amount of time in television viewing (43.3 min/day on weekdays), while Greek preschoolers spent the most time in television viewing (88.5 min/day on weekdays). A considerable amount of time was spent in quiet play in all countries, with the highest levels in Poland (104.9 min/day on weekdays), and the lowest levels in Spain (60.4 min/day on weekdays). Belgian, German, and Polish preschoolers had the lowest intakes of water and the highest intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages. The intake of unhealthy snacks was the highest in Belgian preschoolers (73.1 g/day) and the lowest in Greek preschoolers (53.3 g/day). Conclusions Future interventions should target European preschoolers’ energy balance-related behaviours simultaneously, but should apply country-specific adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]