Table 3 Reported effects on weight indicators and overweight prevalence in a general population of children of European community-based interventions

ICAPS[18]

12 year

N = 475 intervention

0.3 kg/m²

P = 0.05

∆ BMI² at follow-up

4 years

RCT (randomization at school level)

N = 479 control

Movi ¹[20]

8-10 years

N = 375 intervention

Boys: intervention: 30% (b) to 28% (f)

Prevalence of overweight at baseline (b) and follow-up (f)

2 years

N = 546 control

control: 33% (b) to 32% (f)

Girls: intervention: 32% (b) to 26% (f)

control: 29% (b) to 27% (f)

Copenhagen school child[22]

6-8 years

N = 243 intervention

Boys: intervention: +9.3 (±3.1) kg

P = 0.6

Body weight

3 years

Quasi experimental trial

N = 138 control

control: +9.5 (± 3.4) kg

Girls: intervention: +9.0 (±3.1) kg

P = 0.5

control: +9.3 (±3.2) kg

EPODE[23]

Longitudinal

5-12 years

Boys: N = 421 –305–262–312–336

Boys: 9.0%-10.2% -9.5% -7.7% -7.4%

Prevalence overweight at time points:

12 years

Girls: N = 383–296–253–280–297

Girls: 14.1%-18.6% -17.0% -13.6% -10.4%

1992-2000-2002-2003-2004

Prevalence overweight

Quasi experimental trial (cross-sectional at endpoint only)

5-12 years

N = 633 intervention

Intervention: 8.8%

P < 0.05

BMI

N = 349 control

Control: 17.8%

Boys: intervention: 15.6 kg/m²

P < 0.05

control: 16.7 kg/m²

Girls: intervention: 15.7 kg/m²

P < 0.05

Control: 16.4 kg/m²

Children study[24]

10 year

N = 321 intervention

Intervention: 2.1 (1.9-2.4) kg

P = 0.1

∆ Body weight

1 year

Clustered RCT (school is level of randomisation)

N = 325 control

Control: 4.7 (4.5-4.9) kg

Intervention: −1.1 (−1.2 - -0.9) kg

P < 0.05

BMI

Control: +0.1 (−0.03- +0.2) kg

B-fit[25]

6-12 years

N = 539

2008: 17% (4%)

Prevalence overweight (obesity) at time points: 2008-2010

2 years?

Longitudinal (pre-post test design)

2010: 15% (2%)

GO-Overvecht ¹[26]

4-12 years

?

2004/05: 26%

P < 0.05

Prevalence overweight at time points: 2004/05 – 2008/09

4 years?

2008/09: 20%

12-15 years

N = 3532

no significant reduction

n.s.

Slagkracht[27]

7 years

N = 261 (GE)

GE: +0.2

∆ BMI

1 year

Longitudinal (pre-post test design) in two countries (Germany (GE) and the Netherlands (NL)

N = 296 (NL)

NL: +0.3³

GE 2009: 15.0%

Prevalence in BMI percentiles 7 and 8 (heavy overweight and obesity)⁴

2009 - 2010

2010: 14.6%

NL 2009: 12.8%

2010: 12.0%⁵

Jönköping County[28]

6,5 years

N = 3362 – 3310 – 3298 – 3319

14% (5%) - 12% (4%) - 15% (5%) -13% (4%)

Prevalence overweight (obesity) at time points: 2004/05 - 2006/07 -2009/10 – 2011/2012

7 years?

Cross-sectional

10,5 years

N = 4180 – 3631 – 3201 – 3250

17% (4%) - 17% (3%) -17% (4%) -18% (4%)

14 years

N = 4641 – 4183 – 3258 – 3193

15% (3%) - 14% (3%) - 17% (5%) -17% (5%)

16,5 years

N = 3162 – 3875 – 3526 – 2906

15% (4%) - 15% (3%) - 14%(4%) -16% (6%)