[Teacher-Based Health Promotion in Primary School Children in Baden-Württemberg: Effects on Endurance Performance and Incidence of Abdominal Obesity].

BACKGROUND

Health promotion has to start early. Many prevention programmes lack proof of effectiveness. A programme that promotes an active and healthy lifestyle for primary school children in Baden-Württemberg is "Join the Healthy Boat".

AIM

The effect of this one-year school-based intervention on endurance performance and incidence of paediatric abdominal obesity was investigated in a large cluster randomised study.

METHODS

Data of 1739 children (7.1±0.6 years) were available at baseline and follow-up. Background variables were assessed via parent questionnaires. Endurance performance (6-minute run) and anthropometric data were collected on-site. Children with waist-to-height-ratio (WHtR) ≥ 0.5 were classified as being abdominally obese. The difference in endurance capacity and the incidence of abdominal obesity between baseline and follow-up were calculated and analysed in simple and hierarchical regression models taking into account the school effect.

RESULTS

Adjusted for gender and grade level, the difference in completed meters in the intervention group after one year was significantly greater (70.5±128.6 vs. 59.2±106.6 m, n=1708). However, after taking into account data clustering of schools, the significance was lost. Odds for the development of abdominal obesity in the intervention group were more than halved after adjustment for gender, grade, baseline WHtR and no-breakfasts (odds ratio=0.48, 95% CI [0.25; 0.94], n=1535).

CONCLUSION

Children should learn to make healthy choices from an early age. With the prevention of abdominal obesity as an indicator, this intervention is characterised as an effective health promotion.