Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Mar 6:12:157.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-157.

Evaluation of a health promotion program in children: Study protocol and design of the cluster-randomized Baden-Württemberg primary school study [DRKS-ID: DRKS00000494]

Jens Dreyhaupt  1 , Benjamin Koch, Tamara Wirt, Anja Schreiber, Susanne Brandstetter, Dorothea Kesztyüs, Olivia Wartha, Susanne Kobel, Sarah Kettner, Dmytro Prokopchuk, Verena Hundsdörfer, Melina Klepsch, Martina Wiedom, Sabrina Sufeida, Nanette Fischbach, Rainer Muche, Tina Seufert, Jürgen Michael Steinacker
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of a health promotion program in children: Study protocol and design of the cluster-randomized Baden-Württemberg primary school study [DRKS-ID: DRKS00000494]

Jens Dreyhaupt et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Increasing prevalences of overweight and obesity in children are known problems in industrialized countries. Early prevention is important as overweight and obesity persist over time and are related with health problems later in adulthood. "Komm mit in das gesunde Boot - Grundschule" is a school-based program to promote a healthier lifestyle. Main goals of the intervention are to increase physical activity, decrease the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and to decrease time spent sedentary by promoting active choices for healthy lifestyle. The program to date is distributed by 34 project delivery consultants in the state of Baden-Württemberg and is currently implemented in 427 primary schools. The efficacy of this large scale intervention is examined via the Baden-Württemberg Study.

Methods/design: The Baden-Württemberg Study is a prospective, stratified, cluster-randomized, and longitudinal study with two groups (intervention group and control group). Measurements were taken at the beginning of the academic years 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Efficacy of the intervention is being assessed using three main outcomes: changes in waist circumference, skinfold thickness and 6 minutes run. Stratified cluster-randomization (according to class grade level) was performed for primary schools; pupils, teachers/principals, and parents were investigated. An approximately balanced number of classes in intervention group and control group could be reached by stratified randomization and was maintained at follow-up.

Discussion: At present, "Komm mit in das Gesunde Boot - Grundschule" is the largest school-based health promotion program in Germany. Comparative objective main outcomes are used for the evaluation of efficacy. Simulations showed sufficient power with the existing sample size. Therefore, the results will show whether the promotion of a healthier lifestyle in primary school children is possible using a relatively low effort within a school-based program involving children, teachers and parents. The research team anticipates that not only efficacy will be proven in this study but also expects many other positive effects of the program.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), DRKS-ID: DRKS00000494.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview and time course of the Baden-Württemberg Study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart of enrollment, baseline measurements, and follow-up in the Baden-Württemberg Study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hills AP, Andersen LB, Byrne NM. Physical activity and obesity in children. Br J Sport Med. 2011;45(11):866–870. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2011-090199. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kurth BM, Schaffrath Rosario A. The prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents living in Germany. Results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) Bundesgesundheitsbl. 2007;50:736–743. doi: 10.1007/s00103-007-0235-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Moβ A, Wabitsch M, Kromeyer-Hauschild K, Reinehr T, Kurth BM. Prevalence of overweight and adiposity in German school children. Bundesgesundheitsbl. 2007;50(11):1424–1431. doi: 10.1007/s00103-007-0370-z. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tambalis KD, Panagiotakos DB, Kavouras SA, Kallistratos AA, Moraiti IP, Douvis SJ, Toutouzas PK, Sidossis LS. Eleven-year prevalence trends of obesity in Greek children: first evidence that prevalence of obesity is leveling off. Obesity. 2010;18:161–166. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.188. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bergström E, Blomquist HK. Is the prevalence of overweight and obesity declining among 4-year-old Swedish children? Acta Paediatr. 2009;98:1956–1958. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01490.x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms