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
. 2019 Mar;89(3):159-164.
doi: 10.1111/josh.12724. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Based Physical Activity Recommendations Do Not Improve Fitness in Real-World Settings

Tasa Seibert  1 , David B Allen  2 , Jens C Eickhoff  3 , Aaron L Carrel  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Based Physical Activity Recommendations Do Not Improve Fitness in Real-World Settings

Tasa Seibert et al. J Sch Health. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes school-based strategies to increase physical activity (PA). Implementation feasibility and effect of these interventions on cardiovascular fitness (CVF) is unknown.

Methods: Forty-nine low-SES schools were randomly assigned to either (1) continue routine PA programs (N = 24 schools, 2399 students) or (2) implement 4 CDC-based PA strategies (N = 25 schools, 2495 students). CVF assessed by PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) was obtained at the beginning and end of the school year. A post-study questionnaire was administered at each school to assess adherence.

Results: Overall, PACER z-scores were not augmented by CDC-based PA strategies. In boys, PACER z-scores increased similarly in both intervention and control schools. In girls, increased mean PACER z-score was greater in control schools (p < .01). Fifty-two percent of intervention school's staff reported inability to implement or sustain 4 CDC-based PA strategies.

Conclusions: Planned implementation of school-based CDC PA strategies did not increase CVF compared to routine PA programming. Lack of efficacy in girls suggests need for sex-specific targeted strategies. These findings highlight limited efficacy of CDC-based PA recommendations alone in low-SES schools. Schools may require additional support to successfully implement recommendations and meaningfully affect health outcomes.

Keywords: children; fitness; physical activity; schools.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Change in PACER Scores, Overall and Stratified by Sex
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Change in PACER Scores, Overall and Stratified by Sex
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Goran MI. Metabolic precursors and effects of obesity in children: a decade of progress, 1990–1999. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;73(2):158–171. - PubMed
    1. Reiner M, Niermann C, Jekauc D, Woll A. Long-term health benefits of physical activity–a systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC Public Health 2013;13(1):1–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cummings DM, Dubose KD, Imai S, Collier DN. Fitness versus Fatness and Insulin Resistance in U.S. Adolescents. J Obes 2010;2010. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allen DB, Nemeth BA, Clark RR, Peterson SE, Eickhoff J, Carrel AL. Fitness is a stronger predictor of fasting insulin levels than fatness in overweight male middle-school children. J Pediatr 2007;150(4):383–387. - PubMed
    1. Jimenez-Pavon DA, Castillo MJ, Moreno LA, Kafatos A, Manios Y, Kondaki K, et al. Fitness and fatness are independently associated with markers of insulin resistance in European adolescents; the HELENA study. Int J Pediatr Obes 2011;6(3–4):253–260. - PubMed

Publication types