The findings of this study highlight the potential for school-based physical activity interventions to be effective in preventing and treating childhood obesity. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of long-term PA programs and the need for consistent funding and support to maintain their effectiveness. It is hoped that these results will inform future public health policies and interventions aimed at addressing the global obesity epidemic.
We are pleased to announce the publication of a recent study conducted by Slovenian and Croatian researchers, which has been published in the esteemed journal Obesity. This ground-breaking study explores the effectiveness of a school-based physical activity (PA) intervention in combating the global obesity epidemic, a pressing public health issue of growing concern in both developed and developing countries.
The study involved a real-world, population-scaled intervention that provided two to three additional physical education lessons per week to over 34,000 children aged 6 to 14 years in Slovenia. Using generalized estimating equations, the researchers estimated the effects of differing levels of exposure to the intervention (from 1-5 years) on BMI in children with normal weight, overweight, or obesity at baseline. Participants were compared with a similar number of non-participants from the same schools.
The results of the study revealed that the intervention was effective in lowering BMI in the intervention group, regardless of participation duration or baseline weight status. The difference in BMI increased with the program duration, with maximal effects being seen after 3 to 4 years of participation. Furthermore, the program was particularly effective for children with obesity, with the greatest effects observed in girls with obesity, peaking at 1.4 kg/m2, and in boys with obesity, peaking at 0.9 kg/m2. The program was also effective in reversing obesity after 3 years, with the lowest numbers needed to treat observed after 5 years.
The findings of this study highlight the potential for school-based physical activity interventions to be effective in preventing and treating childhood obesity. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of long-term PA programs and the need for consistent funding and support to maintain their effectiveness. It is hoped that these results will inform future public health policies and interventions aimed at addressing the global obesity epidemic.
To read the full article and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the study's methodology and findings, we invite interested readers to visit the website of the journal Obesity at the following link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.23695.