Systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based obesity interventions in mainland China.

BACKGROUND: Numerous school-based interventions for childhood obesity have been emerging in mainland China in recent decades, but little is known about the effectiveness of such interventions. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of school-based interventions for childhood obesity conducted in mainland China. METHODS: A systematic search was undertaken in eight databases to identify both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials from January 1990 to December 2015 examining the effectiveness of school-based obesity interventions. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted assessing the impact of included interventions on (body mass index) BMI. The quality of each included studies were assessed using Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. A P value <0.05 (two-sided) was considered statistically significant. RESULT: Of the seventy-six included studies, we found physical activity and health education were the two most common components of interventions. More treatment studies were effective compared with prevention studies (85.0% vs. 58.3%). Comprehensive interventions involving physical activity and health education appeared more effective than the physical activity only interventions in both obesity treatment and prevention studies. The meta-analyses showed comprehensive interventions involving physical activity and health education had larger effect on the change of BMI than physical activity only interventions (treatment studies: -1.80 kg/m2 (95% CI: -2.15,-1.44) vs. -0.91 kg/m2 (95% CI: -1.15,-0.67); prevention studies: -0.19 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.27, -0.11) vs. +0.05 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.04, +0.15)). CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive school-based interventions may assist in tackling the rising prevalence of childhood obesity in mainland China.

[Physical activities and dietary intervention on metabolic syndrome in children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of physical activities and dietary intervention on metabolic syndrome (MS) in primary school students. METHODS: Either one-year physical activities (PA) or dietary intervention was conducted in Grade 1-5 children from eight primary schools in Haidian district, Beijing. A 'happy 10 minutes' program was held in the PA group, while the dietary group receiving nutrition lectures. Baseline and post-intervention data on height, weight, waist circumference, serum lipids, glucose, and blood pressure were collected. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS at baseline was 9.0%. After intervention programs were carried out, improvements on triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose, diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference in the dietary group or PA group were seen, with the dietary group showed better effects than the PA group. The prevalence of MS decreased from 10.4% to 4.6% in the dietary group with statistically significant difference, while it increased in both the PA group and the control group. Girls showed better effects in the dietary group. Older students showed better effects than the younger students in the PA group. In non-overweight and overweight students of the dietary intervention group, the MS related components were significantly improved. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was relatively high in the primary school students in Beijing. Education on nutrition could reduce the prevalence and improve the related components, which seemed to be more effective than in the PA intervention. Sex, age and nutritional status were the confounding factors for intervention programs.