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Effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered through schools, targeting 6 and 7 year olds : cluster randomised controlled trial (WAVES study)

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Adab, P., Pallan, M. J., Lancashire, E. R., Hemming, Karla, Frew, E., Barrett, T., Bhopal, R., Cade, J. E., Canaway, Alastair, Clarke, J. L. et al.
(2018) Effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered through schools, targeting 6 and 7 year olds : cluster randomised controlled trial (WAVES study). British Medical Journal, 360 . k211. doi:10.1136/bmj.k211

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k211

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Abstract

Objectives

To assess the effectiveness of a school and family based healthy lifestyle programme (WAVES intervention) compared with usual practice, in preventing childhood obesity.

Design

Cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting

UK primary schools from the West Midlands.

Participants

200 schools were randomly selected from all state run primary schools within 35 miles of the study centre (n=980), oversampling those with high minority ethnic populations. These schools were randomly ordered and sequentially invited to participate. 144 eligible schools were approached to achieve the target recruitment of 54 schools. After baseline measurements 1467 year 1 pupils aged 5 and 6 years (control: 28 schools, 778 pupils) were randomised, using a blocked balancing algorithm. 53 schools remained in the trial and data on 1287 (87.7%) and 1169 (79.7%) pupils were available at first follow-up (15 month) and second follow-up (30 month), respectively.

Interventions

The 12 month intervention encouraged healthy eating and physical activity, including a daily additional 30 minute school time physical activity opportunity, a six week interactive skill based programme in conjunction with Aston Villa football club, signposting of local family physical activity opportunities through mail-outs every six months, and termly school led family workshops on healthy cooking skills.

Outcome measures

The protocol defined primary outcomes, assessed blind to allocation, were between arm difference in body mass index (BMI) z score at 15 and 30 months. Secondary outcomes were further anthropometric, dietary, physical activity, and psychological measurements, and difference in BMI z score at 39 months in a subset.

Results

Data for primary outcome analyses were: baseline, 54 schools: 1392 pupils (732 controls); first follow-up (15 months post-baseline), 53 schools: 1249 pupils (675 controls); second follow-up (30 months post-baseline), 53 schools: 1145 pupils (621 controls). The mean BMI z score was non-significantly lower in the intervention arm compared with the control arm at 15 months (mean difference −0.075 (95% confidence interval −0.183 to 0.033, P=0.18) in the baseline adjusted models. At 30 months the mean difference was −0.027 (−0.137 to 0.083, P=0.63). There was no statistically significant difference between groups for other anthropometric, dietary, physical activity, or psychological measurements (including assessment of harm).

Conclusions

The primary analyses suggest that this experiential focused intervention had no statistically significant effect on BMI z score or on preventing childhood obesity. Schools are unlikely to impact on the childhood obesity epidemic by incorporating such interventions without wider support across multiple sectors and environments.

Item Type: Journal Article
Alternative Title:
Subjects: R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Clinical Trials Unit
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Social Science & Systems in Health (SSSH)
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Obesity in children -- Prevention -- Great Britain, School children -- Health and hygiene
Journal or Publication Title: British Medical Journal
Publisher: BMJ Group
ISSN: 0959-8146
Official Date: 7 February 2018
Dates:
DateEvent
7 February 2018Published
19 December 2017Accepted
Volume: 360
Article Number: k211
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k211
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
UNSPECIFIEDHealth Technology Assessment programmehttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000664

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