physical activity children

sedentary behaviour

physical self-concept

physical activity sedentary

hmb guidelines

screen time

report card

physical literacy

aerobic fitness

physical activity pa

The Cochrane library

Background Physical activity among children and adolescents is associated with lower adiposity, improved cardio‐metabolic health, and improved fitness. Worldwide, fewer than 30% of children and adolescents meet global physical activity recommendations of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. Schools may be ideal sites for interventions given that children and adolescents in most parts of the world spend a substantial amount of time in transit to and from school or attending school. Objectives The purpose of this review update is to summarise the evidence on effectiveness of school‐based interventions in increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity and improving fitness among children and adolescents 6 to 18 years of age. Specific objectives are: • to evaluate the effects of school‐based interventions on increasing physical activity and improving fitness among children and adolescents; • to evaluate the effects of school‐based interventions on improving body composition; and • to determine whether certain combinations or components (or both) of school‐based interventions are more effective than others in promoting physical activity and fitness in this target population. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, BIOSIS, SPORTDiscus, and Sociological Abstracts to 1 June 2020, without language restrictions. We screened reference lists of included articles and relevant systematic reviews. We contacted primary authors of studies to ask for additional information. Selection criteria Eligible interventions were relevant to public health practice (i.e. were not delivered by a clinician), were implemented in the school setting, and aimed to increase physical activity among all school‐attending children and adolescents (aged 6 to 18) for at least 12 weeks. The review was limited to randomised controlled trials. For this update, we have added two new criteria: the primary aim of the study was to increase physical activity or fitness, and the study used an obj...

School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18