Interventions to increase physical activity in children 0-5 years old: a systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis.
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 2018 ; 20: 75-87.
Hnatiuk JA, Brown HE, Downing KL, Hinkley T, Salmon J, Hesketh KD
DOI : 10.1111/obr.12763
PubMed ID : 30257277
PMCID :
URL : https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12763
Abstract
The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity (PA) in 0-5 year olds and to determine what works, for whom, in what circumstances.
Systematic review, meta-analysis and realist synthesis.
Embase and EBSCOhost (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, Global Health, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus with full text), up to and including April 2017.
Published in a peer-reviewed English language journal; randomized or controlled trial design; aimed to increase children's PA levels; reported on objectively assessed PA in children between 0 and 5.9 years at baseline and post-intervention.
Thirty-four studies were included in the review, mostly conducted in the preschool/childcare setting. Meta-analyses showed an overall non-significant (Z = 0.04, p = 0.97) mean difference of 0.03 (95% CI = -1.57, 1.63) minutes/day for light-intensity PA (n = 11). The overall mean difference for moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity PA (n = 21) was 2.88 (95% CI = 1.54, 4.23) minutes/day, indicating a small but significant overall positive effect (Z = 4.20, p < 0.001). The realist synthesis provided insights into the key contexts and mechanisms that appeared to be effective at changing children's PA.
Based on a quantitative and qualitative examination of the evidence, this review provides specific recommendations for effective early childhood PA interventions for practitioners and policymakers.