Does school-based physical activity decrease overweight and obesity in children aged 6–9 years? A two-year non-randomized longitudinal intervention study in the Czech Republic

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, efforts aimed at the prevention of childhood obesity have led to the implementation of a range of school-based interventions. This study assessed whether augmenting physical activity (PA) within the school setting resulted in increased daily PA and decreased overweight/obesity levels in 6-9-year-old children.MethodsAcross the first to third primary school years, PA of 84 girls and 92 boys was objectively monitored five times (each for seven successive days) using Yamax pedometer (step counts) and Caltrac accelerometer (activity energy expenditure AEE - kcal/kg per day). Four schools were selected to participate in the research (2 intervention, 2 controls), comprising intervention (43 girls, 45 boys) and control children (41 girls, 47 boys). The study was non-randomized and the intervention schools were selected on the basis of existing PA-conducive environment. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures examined the PA programme and gender effects on the step counts and AEE. Logistic regression (Enter method) determined the obesity and overweight occurrence prospect over the course of implementation of the PA intervention.ResultsThere was a significant increase of school-based PA during schooldays in intervention children (from ≈ 1718 to ≈ 3247 steps per day; and from 2.1 to ≈ 3.6 Kcal/Kg per day) in comparison with the control children. Increased school-based PA of intervention children during schooldays contributed to them achieving >10,500 steps and >10.5 Kcal/Kg per school day across the 2 years of the study, and resulted in a stop of the decline in PA levels that is known to be associated with the increasing age of children. Increased school-based PA had also positive impact on leisure time PA of schooldays and on PA at weekends of intervention children. One year after the start of the PA intervention, the odds of being overweight or obese in the intervention children was almost three times lower than that of control children (p < 0.005), and these odds steadily decreased with the duration of the intervention.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that school-based PA (Physical Education lessons, PA during short breaks and longer recesses, PA at after-school nursery) in compatible active environments (child-friendly gym and school playground, corridors with movement and playing around corners and for games) has a vital role in obesity and overweight reduction among younger pupils.

Strength Training and Physical Activity in Boys: a Randomized Trial

“…They have very low PA and increased their spontaneous PA in response to a strength-training intervention by 57%. 8 In prepubertal children, less specific types of strength-training interventions are also able to increase PA. Sigmund et al showed that 45 minutes more PE including highintensity activities such as jumps, hops, and sprints also increases leisure time PA. 23 The mechanism by which strength training induces spontaneous PA remains unclear. There may be an endocrine signaling coming from the musculoskeletal system, which is responsible for a positive feedback between physical strength and PA.…”

The Relationship between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Fundamental Motor Skills in 8 to 11 Years Old Children from the Czech Republic

“…Because 12,000 steps/day correspond to approximately 60 min/day MVPA (Colley, Janssen, & Tremblay, 2012), it may be stated that 84% of the total sample met a recommendation for at least 60 min/day of MVPA. Th e recommended 90 min/day of MVPA (Sigmund, El Ansari, & Sigmundová, 2012) based on the number of steps/day, were performed by approximately 56% of children from the present study. Based on the results of the cpm of the accelerometer and their distribution by the CoP from Freedson et al (2005), we can say that 100% of our sample met the recommended 90 min/day of MVPA (Sigmund et al, 2012).…”

Patterns of lifestyle-related behaviors and parents’ overweight are associated with increased body adiposity in schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study in Portugal

“…According to Rosenkranz et al [50], teachers play a key role in motivating children to participate in physical education classes and physical activity. Sigmund et al [51] conducted a study of a school-based intervention that lasted 2 years and found that increased physical activity in schools had a positive impact on physical activity during leisure time and on weekends in the intervention group. In addition, family characteristics, such as parents' weight status, physical activity, and education, have a significant relationship with the weight status and lifestyle-related behaviors of the children [11,41,52,53].…”