Fit for school: results of a 10-week school-based child healthy weight pilot intervention for primary school students

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this pilot study was to report body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) changes following a Child Healthy Weight pilot intervention.

Methods: Children (n = 3290) aged 4–12 years from southwest Scotland participated in a 10-week school-based pilot intervention comprised of parental engagement, behaviour change, and health literacy and physical activity modules. Children’s height and weight were measured during the first and last weeks of the intervention. A sub-group was followed up at 6 and 24 months after the interventions. Raw data were converted to BMI-SDS.

Results: Significant reductions in BMI-SDS occurred in the total group [−0.03 ± 0.29 (95% CI −0.036 to −0.015), p < 0.001], non-overweight (p = 0.001) and combined overweight and obese children (p < 0.001). While BMI-SDS decreased in younger boys [−0.02 ± 0.30 (−0.037 to −0.002), p < 0.05] and girls [−0.04 ± 0.30 (−0.061 to −0.025), p < 0.001] as well as older boys [−0.03 ± 0.29 (−0.058 to −0.010), p < 0.01], no change was evident in older girls [−0.01 ± 0.29 (−0.031 to 0.017), p = 0.56]. Follow-up assessments confirmed that BMI-SDS significantly decreased from baseline to 6 months post-intervention but returned to pre-intervention levels 24 months post-intervention.

Conclusions: Significant reductions in BMI-SDS were apparent in the short-term evaluation, but values regressed to the initial baseline levels after 24 months. Future work is needed to examine the long-term effects sustained intervention programmes.

Keywords:

• physical activity
• obesity
• BMI
• BMI-SDS
• school health

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Health Service (NHS) Lanarkshire Health Improvement programme. Jonathan Cavana, NHS Lanarkshire Child Healthy Weight Programme Manager, developed the intervention content as well as the design.