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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Jan;91(1):19-28.
doi: 10.1111/josh.12972. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

School as a Protective Setting for Excess Weight Gain and Child Obesity: A Meta-Analysis

Laura M Nicholson  1 , Dorothy McLeod Loren  1 , Alexandra Reifenberg  1 , Michael W Beets  2 , Amy M Bohnert  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

School as a Protective Setting for Excess Weight Gain and Child Obesity: A Meta-Analysis

Laura M Nicholson et al. J Sch Health. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The structure provided by school settings even with no specific obesity-intervention may prevent weight gain. This meta-analytic study considered this premise by examining weight outcomes from control groups in published randomized controlled trials of school-year obesity-related interventions conducted in-school and out-of-school.

Methods: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases were systematically searched and resulted in 1976 unique citations, with 14 retained for analysis. Analyses examined the change in weight outcomes among control group participants.

Results: For studies (N = 6) reporting body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2 ) the overall standardized mean difference (SMD) from pre- to post-intervention was 0.085 (raw units 0.278 kg/m2 ); for studies (N = 9) reporting zBMI, the SMD was 0.022 (0.020 z-scores), for studies (N = 2) reporting waist circumference (cm), the SMD was 0.149 (1.609 cm); for studies (N = 2) reporting BMI percentile, the SMD was 0.064 (0.985 percentiles); and for studies (N = 1) reporting percent body fat, the SMD was 0.031 (0.30 percentage).

Conclusions: Children assigned to control conditions (as part of school-based obesity-related interventions) experience, on average, minimal changes in weight outcomes during the school year. Therefore, routine practices of schools may protect against unhealthy weight gains.

Keywords: body mass index; childhood obesity; meta-analysis; obesity interventions; school health; structured days hypothesis.

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References

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