Effects of the Informed Health Choices podcast on the ability of parents of primary school children in Uganda to assess the trustworthiness of claims about treatment effects: one-year follow up of a randomised trial

Abstract Introduction We evaluated an intervention designed to teach 10 to 12-year-old primary school children to assess claims about the effects of treatments (any action intended to maintain or improve health). We report here on outcomes measured one year after the intervention. Methods In this cluster-randomised trial, we included primary schools in the central region of Uganda that taught year-five children (aged 10 to 12 years). We randomly allocated a representative sample of eligible schools to either an intervention or control group. Intervention schools received the Informed Health Choices primary school resources (textbooks, exercise books, and a teachers’ guide). The primary outcome, measured at the end of the school term and again after one year, was the mean score on a test with two multiple-choice questions for each of the 12 concepts and the proportion of children with passing scores. Results We assessed 2960 schools for eligibility; 2029 were eligible, and a random sample of 170 were invited to recruitment meetings. After recruitment meetings, 120 eligible schools consented and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=60, 76 teachers and 6383 children) or control group (n=60, 67 teachers and 4430 children). After one year, the mean score in the multiple-choice test for the intervention schools was 68.7% compared to 53.0% for the control schools (adjusted mean difference 16.7%, 95% CI 13.9 to 19.5; p<0·00001). In the intervention schools, 3160 (80.1%) of 3943 children that completed the test after one year achieved a predetermined passing score (≥13 of 24 correct answers) compared with 1464 (51.5%) of 2844 children in the control schools (adjusted difference 39.5%, 95% CI 29.9 to 47.5). Conclusion Use of the learning-resources led to a large improvement in the ability of children to assess claims, which was sustained for at least one year.

Download Full-text

Classroom Standing Desks and Time-Series Variation in Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity among Primary School Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16111892 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. 1892 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tetsuhiro Kidokoro ◽

Yasuo Shimizu ◽

Kanako Edamoto ◽

Michael Annear

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Time Series ◽

Primary School ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

School Children ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Control Group ◽

School Time ◽

Intensity Physical Activity

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of height-adjustable standing desks on time-series variation in sedentary behavior (SB) among primary school children. Thirty-eight children aged 11–12 years (22 boys and 16 girls) from two classes at a primary school in Nagano, Japan, participated in this study. One class was allocated as the intervention group and provided with individual standing desks for 6 months, and the other was allocated as the control group. Time spent in SB, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph) at baseline and follow-up. Time spent in SB was significantly lower by 18.3 min/day on average in the intervention class at follow-up (interaction effects: F(1, 36) = 4.95, p = 0.035, η2 = 0.082). This was accompanied by a significant increase in time spent in MVPA (+19.9 min/day on average). Our time-series analysis showed significant decreases in SB during school time, while no change in SB was found during non-school time. This result indicates that the use of standing desks promotes an overall reduction in SB with no compensatory increase during non-school time.

Download Full-text

Bizzy Break! The Effect of a Classroom-Based Activity Break on In-School Physical Activity Levels of Primary School Children

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.25.2.300 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 300-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Elaine Murtagh ◽

Maureen Mulvihill ◽

Oonagh Markey

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Primary School ◽

School Children ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Control Group ◽

Step Counts ◽

Significant Difference

The school has been identified as a key setting to promote physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a classroom-based activity break on in-school step counts of primary school children. Data for 90 children (49 boys, 41 girls, 9.3 ± 1.4 years) from three Irish primary schools is presented. In each school one class was randomly assigned as the intervention group and another as controls. Children’s step counts were measured for five consecutive days during school hours at baseline and follow-up. Teachers of the intervention classes led a 10 min activity break in the classroom each day (Bizzy Break!). Mean daily in-school steps for the intervention at baseline and follow-up were 5351 and 5054. Corresponding values for the control group were 5469 and 4246. There was a significant difference in the change in daily steps from baseline to follow-up between groups (p < .05). There was no evidence that girls and boys responded differently to the intervention (p > .05). Children participating in a daily 10 min classroom-based activity break undertake more physical activity during school hours than controls.

Download Full-text

Objectively Determined Physical Activity Levels in German Primary School Children after a One Year School-based Health Promoting Intervention

Journal of Childhood Obesity ◽

10.21767/2572-5394.100029 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Kobel ◽

Sarah Kettner ◽

Jens Dreyhaupt ◽

Jurgen M. Steinacker

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Primary School ◽

School Children ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Activity Levels ◽

School Based ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Health Promoting ◽

One Year

Download Full-text

Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Academic Skills – A Follow-Up Study among Primary School Children

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0107031 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e107031 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Eero A. Haapala ◽

Anna-Maija Poikkeus ◽

Katriina Kukkonen-Harjula ◽

Tuomo Tompuri ◽

Niina Lintu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Primary School ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

School Children ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Follow Up Study

Download Full-text

Effects of the Informed Health Choices primary school intervention on the ability of children in Uganda to assess the reliability of claims about treatment effects, one-year follow-up: a cluster-randomised trial

10.21203/rs.2.12516/v2 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Allen Nsangi ◽

Daniel Semakula ◽

Andrew David Oxman ◽

Astrid Austvoll- Dalghren ◽

Matt Oxman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary School ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Randomised Trial ◽

Multiple Choice ◽

Cluster Randomised Trial ◽

Control Group ◽

Cluster Randomised ◽

Health Choices ◽

The Mean ◽

One Year

Abstract Introduction We evaluated an intervention designed to teach 10 to 12-year-old primary school children to assess claims about the effects of treatments (any action intended to maintain or improve health). We report here on outcomes measured one year after the intervention. Methods In this cluster-randomised trial, we included primary schools in the central region of Uganda that taught year-five children (aged 10 to 12 years). We randomly allocated a representative sample of eligible schools to either an intervention or control group. Intervention schools received the Informed Health Choices primary school resources (textbooks, exercise books, and a teachers’ guide). The primary outcome, measured at the end of the school term and again after one year, was the mean score on a test with two multiple-choice questions for each of the 12 concepts and the proportion of children with passing scores. Results We assessed 2960 schools for eligibility; 2029 were eligible, and a random sample of 170 were invited to recruitment meetings. After recruitment meetings, 120 eligible schools consented and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=60, 76 teachers and 6383 children) or control group (n=60, 67 teachers and 4430 children). After one year, the mean score in the multiple-choice test for the intervention schools was 68.7% compared to 53.0% for the control schools (adjusted mean difference 16.7%, 95% CI 13.9 to 19.5; p<0·00001). In the intervention schools, 3160 (80.1%) of 3943 children that completed the test after one year achieved a predetermined passing score (≥13 of 24 correct answers) compared with 1464 (51.5%) of 2844 children in the control schools (adjusted difference 39.5%, 95% CI 29.9 to 47.5). Conclusion Use of the learning-resources led to a large improvement in the ability of children to assess claims, which was sustained for at least one year.

Download Full-text