Comparison of two school-based programmes for health behaviour change: the Belo Horizonte Heart Study randomized trial

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of two school-based programmes to promote students’ willingness to engage in lifestyle changes related to eating habits and physical activity behaviours.DesignElementary school-based health promotion intervention, designed as a multicomponent experimental study, based on a behavioural epidemiological model.SettingNine intervention and eight comparative public and private elementary schools.SubjectsThe goal was to determine the impact on the longitudinally assessed outcomes of two programmes that addressed healthy nutrition and active living in a cohort of 2038 children. The evaluations used pre-intervention and follow-up student surveys that were based on the Transtheoretical Model of the stages of behaviour change.ResultsIn the intervention group, there were significant (P < 0·001) differences between the pre- and post-intervention times in the stages of change, with a reduction in the percentage of children at the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages and increased percentages at the preparation, action and maintenance stages, leading to healthier behaviours in fatty food consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and time spent in sedentary activities. The determinants of the behaviour stage were the intervention programme, the type of school and the presence of motivated teachers. The comparison group did not show significant differences between the pre- and post-intervention times for any of the stages of behaviour.ConclusionsThe intervention programme encouraged the students to make healthy lifestyle choices related to eating habits and physical activity behaviours.

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The Effects of a School-Based Physical Activity Teacher Intervention on the Physical Activity Attitudes and Practices of Adolescent Students in Lagos, Nigeria

African Journal of Teacher Education ◽

10.21083/ajote.v10i1.6569 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 307-324

Author(s):

Olalekan Remigious Osifeko ◽

Rowena Naidoo ◽

Verusia Chetty

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Teaching Methodology ◽

Research Approach ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Intact Group ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

School Based

Background: Nigerian adolescents are faced with challenges around physical inactivity. Poor attitudes to, and practices in, physical activity during school physical education (PE) classes are also a challenge. Our study integrated an innovative PE teaching methodology (autonomous support style) into a professional development training (PDT) programme for teachers to promote PA among adolescents. The study aimed at determining the effects of this school-based physical activity intervention for teachers on the physical activity attitudes and practices of adolescents. This study employed a descriptive quantitative research approach to determine the attitudes and practices of adolescents. One thousand two hundred students were recruited from twenty-four junior secondary schoolsthrough an intact group design process. A PE teacher from each school was included in the PDT intervention programme. The main components of the intervention included training PE teachers to influence their students’ attitudes and practices through the use of an autonomous support style of teaching.PE teachers allocated to the intervention group implemented the autonomous support style of teaching at the schools in the intervention group for four months. There was a pre-intervention baseline assessment of the students’ physical activity attitudes and practices, with a second assessment following the intervention. Results showed that there were significant (p<0.05) changes, post-intervention, in the adolescents’ attitudes to, and practices in, physical activity participation during PE classes, and at lunch or break-time during the school day.

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A childhood obesity prevention programme in Barcelona (POIBA Project): Study protocol of the intervention

Journal of Public Health Research ◽

10.4081/jphr.2018.1129 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Sánchez-Martínez ◽

Olga Juárez ◽

Gemma Serral ◽

Sara Valmayor ◽

Rosa Puigpinós ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

New Technologies ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Total Duration ◽

Outcome Variable ◽

Preventive Interventions ◽

School Based ◽

Diet And Physical Activity

Background: Childhood obesity preventive interventions should promote a healthy diet and physical activity at home and school. This study aims to describe a school-based childhood obesity preventive programme (POIBA Project) targeting 8-to-12- year-old. Design and methods: Evaluation study of a school-based intervention with a pre-post quasi-experimental design and a comparison group. Schools from disadvantaged neighbourhoods are oversampled. The intervention consists of 9 sessions, including 58 activities of a total duration between 9 and 13 hours, and the booster intervention of 2 sessions with 8 activities lasting 3 or 4 hours. They are multilevel (individual, family and school) and multicomponent (classroom, physical activity and family). Data are collected through anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests and lifestyle surveys before and after the intervention and the booster intervention. In the intervention group, families complete two questionnaires about their children’s eating habits and physical activity. The outcome variable is the cumulative incidence rate of obesity, obtained from body mass index values and body fat assessed by triceps skinfold thickness. The independent variables are socio-demographic, contextual, eating habits, food frequency, intensity of physical activity and use of new technologies. Expected impact for public health: It is essential to implement preventive interventions at early ages and to follow its effects over time. Interventions involving diet and physical activity are the most common, being the most effective setting the school. The POIBA Project intervenes in both the school and family setting and focuses on the most disadvantaged groups, in which obesity is most pronounced and difficult to prevent.

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Effects of School-Based Exergaming on Urban Children’s Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Quasi-Experimental Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16214080 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (21) ◽

pp. 4080 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ye ◽

Pope ◽

Lee ◽

Gao

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control School ◽

Control Group ◽

Post Intervention ◽

School Based ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Over Time

Background: Modern-day technology is appealing to children. Few studies, however, have conducted longitudinal analyses of a school-based exergaming program’s effect on physical activity (PA) behaviors and fitness in children. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal effect of an 8-month school-based exergaming intervention on children’s objectively-measured PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Materials and Methods: Eighty-one fourth grade students (X̅age = 9.23 ± 0.62; 39 girls; 54.3% African American, 30.9% Non-Hispanic White, 14.8% other) participated in this study from 2014–2015. The intervention school’s children participated in a once-weekly 50-minute exergaming intervention during recess throughout the school year, while the control school continued regular recess. Children’s in-school PA and sedentary behavior (SB) were measured with ActiGraphGT3X+ accelerometers, with CRF assessed via the half-mile run. All measurements were taken at baseline, mid-intervention (four months) and post-intervention (eight months). Repeated-measures two-way ANCOVAs using age and race as covariates were conducted to examine between-school differences over time for SB, light PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and CRF. Results: Significant time by group interactions were observed for LPA, F(1, 79) = 7.82, η2 = 0.09, p < 0.01, and MVPA, F(1, 79) = 4.58, η2 = 0.06, p < 0.05, as LPA increased among the control group, while MVPA increased among intervention group. Children in both groups experienced decreased SB during the intervention (intervention: −7.63 minutes; control: −17.59 minutes), but demonstrated lower CRF over time (intervention: +46.73 seconds; control: +61.60 seconds). Conclusions: Observations suggested that school-based exergaming implementation may be effective in increasing children’s MVPA and decreasing their SB over the course an academic year (i.e., ~eight months). More research is needed, however, to discern how modifications to school-based exergaming might also promote improved CRF in children.

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Impact of an Elementary School-Based Intervention on Physical Activity Time and Aerobic Capacity, Georgia, 2013-2014

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354917719701 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 132 (2_suppl) ◽

pp. 24S-32S ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hayley A. Braun ◽

Christi M. Kay ◽

Patricia Cheung ◽

Paul S. Weiss ◽

Julie A. Gazmararian

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Elementary School ◽

Aerobic Capacity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

School Level ◽

Activity Time ◽

Post Intervention ◽

School Based ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the impact of a 1-year elementary school physical activity intervention on changes in teacher-reported school-based physical activity time and (2) assess the relationship between these changes and changes in student aerobic capacity. Methods: HealthMPowers, a nonprofit organization, provided a multicomponent physical activity intervention to 3479 students in 39 schools in Georgia during 2013-2014. HealthMPowers administered a survey to faculty members before (August 2013) and after (May 2014) the intervention to measure student physical activity times. The organization collected pre- and post-intervention Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) laps (a measure of aerobic capacity that awards 1 lap for each completed 20-meter lap) for 2342 fourth-grade students. We performed linear regression to determine the relationship between school-level changes in teacher-reported school-based physical activity time and student aerobic capacity. Results: The weekly estimated teacher-reported time in physical activity increased by 39 minutes from pre- to post-intervention: 21 minutes for recess, 17 minutes for classroom, and 1 minute for physical education. The mean number of student PACER laps increased by 3 laps from pre- to post-intervention, and 1515 of 2342 (65%) students increased the number of PACER laps completed. We observed a positive association between school-level changes in school-based physical activity time and school-level changes in PACER laps ( r = 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.46). Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for more prospective research into multicomponent physical activity interventions. Rigorous testing, including randomized controlled trials of large-scale implementations, is needed to examine how these school-based interventions might be used to improve the physical activity and fitness of larger populations of children.

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Healthy diets, lifestyle changes and wellbeing during and after lockdown: Longitudinal evidence from the West Midlands

10.1101/2021.03.19.21253951 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Thijs van Rens ◽

Petra Hanson ◽

Oyinlola Oyebode ◽

Lukasz Walasek ◽

Thomas M. Barber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

The West ◽

West Midlands ◽

The Impact

Background: "Lockdowns" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the UK have affected many aspects of life, with concerns that they may have adversely affected diets. We aimed to examine (i) the effect of living in lockdown on fruit and vegetable consumption; (ii) whether any population subgroup was particularly adversely affected; (iii) the barriers and facilitators to a healthy diet in lockdown; and (iv) the effect of lockdown on secondary outcomes such as weight and mental wellbeing. Methods: We conducted a mixed-method longitudinal study, involving an online survey of 1003 adults in the West Midlands, UK, 494 of whom were surveyed at two different points in time. Our first time point (T0: May 2020) was during stringent COVID-19 lockdown and the second (T1: September 2020) during a period of more relaxed restrictions. The survey included detailed quantitative questions about fruit and vegetable consumption; questions on physical activity, socio-demographic characteristics, BMI and wellbeing; and qualitative data collection about the reasons behind reported changes. Results: We find no evidence for respondents decreasing their fruit and vegetable consumption during lockdown compared to afterwards. If anything, consumption of fruit and vegetables increased by about half a portion daily among women, particularly among those who normally have a long commute. These findings combined with a significant increase in physical activity, suggest that behaviours were healthier during lockdown, consistent with higher self-reported health compared with afterwards. However, there was a marked deterioration in wellbeing during lockdown, and on average participants self-reported being heavier during this period as well. Our qualitative data suggested that an abundance of resources supported higher fruit and vegetable consumption during lockdown, for instance, participants had more time, while access issues were one barrier to consumption. Conclusions: Our results are reassuring for those concerned that lockdowns may have adversely affect diets. They may point to the impact of commuting on diet, particularly for women, and intervening to reduce commuting times may be one way to improve population diets. Our study adds longitudinal evidence to a growing body of literature on the adverse effect of lockdown on mental health.

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Eating Habits and Lifestyle Changes Among Turkish Population During Covid-19 Pandemic Period

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology ◽

10.24925/turjaf.v9i12.2206-2212.4477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 2206-2212

Author(s):

Sibel Karakaya ◽

Merve Eda Eker ◽

Sedef Nehir El ◽

Beste Özsezen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Turkish Population ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Smoking Habits ◽

Mailing Lists ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Age Range ◽

The Impact

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on eating habits, and lifestyles including sleeping and smoking habits, and physical activity of the Turkish population aged >15 years using a web-survey. The survey was conducted from the 5th of August to the 4th of October 2020 by using an online platform and disseminated through institutional and private social networks (Facebook and WhatsApp) and institutional mailing lists. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, anthropometric data, changes in dietary habits, and changes in lifestyle habits. The total number of participants was 1020 in the study and 71.1% of them are female, and 80% of the participants were in the 20-59 age range. More than half of the participants (67.42%) declared that their eating habits and lifestyles changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of the participants (63%) declared that there is no special food that can improve their immunity against the Covid-19. Contrary to them, most of those who added certain foods to their diets or increased the consumption of certain foods to improve the immunity (39.8%), declared that they got that information from social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. In particular smoking habits did not change and sleep hours increased during the Covid-19 period. Concerning physical activity, no significant difference was found between the percentage of people before and during the Covid-19 period.

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Effectiveness of school–home intervention for adolescent obesity prevention: parallel school randomised study

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114519001818 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 122 (9) ◽

pp. 1073-1080 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michele R. Sgambato ◽

Diana B. Cunha ◽

Bárbara S. N. Souza ◽

Viviana T. Henriques ◽

Renata R. M. Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Fat ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Prevention Programme ◽

Control Group ◽

School Based ◽

Home Based ◽

Healthy Eating Habits

AbstractMany school-based interventions for obesity prevention have been proposed with positive changes in behaviour, but with unsatisfactory results on weight change. The objective was to verify the effectiveness of a combined school- and home-based obesity prevention programme on excessive weight gain in adolescents. Teachers delivered the school-based primary prevention programme to fifth- and sixth-graders (nine schools, forty-eight control classes, forty-nine intervention classes), which included encouraging healthy eating habits and physical activity. A subgroup of overweight or obese adolescents also received a home-based secondary prevention programme delivered by community health professionals. Schools were randomised to intervention or control group. Intent-to-treat analysis used mixed models for repeated continuous measures and considered the cluster effect. The main outcomes were changes in BMI and percentage body fat (%body fat) after one school-year of intervention and follow-up. Against our hypothesis, BMI increased more in the intervention group than in the control group (Δ = 0·3 kg/m2; P = 0·05) with a greater decrease in %body fat among boys (Δ = –0·6 %; P = 0·03) in the control group. The intervention group increased physical activity by 12·5 min per week compared with the control group. Female adolescents in the intervention group ate healthier items more frequently than in the control group. The subgroup that received both the school and home interventions had an increase in %body fat than in the control group (Δ = 0·89 %; P = 0·01). In the present study, a behavioural change led to a small increase in physical activity and healthy eating habits but also to an overall increase in food intake.

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Changes in physical activity of adolescent girls in the context of their perception of the Healthy Me programme

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz242 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 433-437 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanna Mazur ◽

Anna Dzielska ◽

Dorota Kleszczewska ◽

Anna Oblacińska ◽

Anna Fijałkowska

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Implementation Process ◽

Subjective Assessment ◽

Programme Evaluation ◽

Programme Implementation ◽

Intervention Programme ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Beneficial Impact

Abstract Background An assumption was made that results of programme evaluation lead to better understanding for whom this intervention may work. The aim of the article is to compare the changes in physical activity of the intervention programme participants depending on subjective assessment of its impact. Methods The data were obtained from 14- to15-year-old Polish girls (N = 1120) from 48 random selected secondary schools participating in the 1-year Healthy Me programme in the 2017/2018. Schools were randomly assigned to one of two types of intervention or to a control (null) group. Satisfaction with the programme according to 21 criteria was measured retrospectively just after the intervention. Change in MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) during the programme implementation was assessed in relation to satisfaction level, and adjusted for initial MVPA. Results In total, the MVPA did not change significantly comparing pre- and post-intervention surveys (3.94 ± 1.94 vs. 3.87 ± 1.93)—P = 0.093. However, the perceived notable improvement of functioning in 10 out of 21 areas was related to the unquestionable increase in MVPA (P ≤ 0.001). With respect to the four impact areas, an interaction was demonstrated between an intervention group and an improvement in the domain-specific functioning. The beneficial impact of the programme on these areas was associated with the improvement of physical activity only in case of full and null intervention. Conclusions Indicators related to the implementation process and the results obtained during the Healthy Me programme evaluation could represent a change in motivational and environmental factors that indirectly affects adolescent girl’s physical activity.

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Effectiveness of a school-based program focusing on diet and health habits taught through physical exercise

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2017-0348 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 331-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ana Pablos ◽

Vicente Nebot ◽

Vicente Vañó-Vicent ◽

Diego Ceca ◽

Laura Elvira

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Blood Glucose ◽

Total Cholesterol ◽

Maximal Oxygen Consumption ◽

Intervention Group ◽

School Based ◽

The Impact

The global rate of obesity in childhood is becoming an epidemic and many authors have established a significant association between childhood obesity and overweight in adulthood. It is therefore necessary to seek effective strategies to reduce these levels of obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Healthy Habits Program (HHP). The participants comprised 158 children from the fifth and sixth grades (intervention group, n = 82; control group, n = 76). The HHP is a school-based physical activity program focusing on promoting a healthy lifestyle. It lasted for 8 months, and measurements were taken at the beginning and end of the program. Physiological variables (total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, blood pressure, and maximal oxygen consumption), anthropometric variables (body mass index (BMI)) and behavioral variables (breakfast, quality of diet, meal frequency, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and perceived health) were evaluated. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) after the intervention for the intervention group in triglycerides, blood glucose and maximal oxygen consumption. Significant improvements were also observed in breakfast habits and quality of diet. Finally, a significant improvement in prevalence of normal levels was observed for total cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI. It can therefore be stated that the HHP is an innovative and useful school-based program that can help to improve diet and health in childhood.

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Sprint Interval Training and the School Curriculum: Benefits Upon Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Activity Profiles, and Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles of Healthy Adolescents

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.2018-0155 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 296-305 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rhona Martin-Smith ◽

Duncan S. Buchan ◽

Julien S. Baker ◽

Mhairi J. Macdonald ◽

Nicholas F. Sculthorpe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Interval Training ◽

Control Group ◽

Sprint Interval Training ◽

Significant Group ◽

School Based ◽

The Impact

Background:This study examined the impact of a 4-week school-based sprint interval training program on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), daily physical activity (PA) behavior, and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) outcomes in adolescents.Methods:A total of 56 adolescents (22 females) were allocated to either an intervention (n = 22; 17.0 [0.3] y) or control group (n = 30; 16.8 [0.5] y). Intervention group performed 5 to 6, 30 second “all out” running sprints, interspersed with 30-second rest intervals, 3 times per week, for 4 consecutive weeks, whereas control group performed their normal physical education lessons. CRF was estimated from the 20-m multistage fitness test and PA behavior was determined using accelerometry. Fasting blood samples were obtained to measure biochemical markers of CMR.Results:Significant group × time interactions were observed for CRF (5.03 [1.66 to 8.40];P < .001;d = 0.95), sedentary time (136.15 [91.91 to 180.39];P = .004;d = 1.8), moderate PA (57.20 [32.17 to 82.23];P < .001;d = 1.5), vigorous PA (5.40 [4.22 to 6.57];P < .001;d = 1.2), fasting insulin (0.37 [−0.48 to 1.21];P = .01;d = 1.0), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (0.26 [0.15 to 0.42];P < .001;d = 0.9), and clustered CMR score (0.22 [−0.05 to 0.68];P < .001;d = 10.63).Conclusion:Findings of this study indicate that 4 weeks of school-based sprint interval training improves CRF, improves PA profiles, and maintains CMR in adolescents during the school term.

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