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Table 2 Description of included interventions and effects

From: Socioeconomic gradients in the effects of universal school-based health behaviour interventions: a systematic review of intervention studies

Study name

Main reference

Country

SES measurea

Intervention type

Outcomes tested

Effective?

Outcomes analysed bv SES

Gradient in effect

AFLY5

Kipping et al. 2014

UK

School IMD Pupil IMD

Education and parental involvement

Physical activity (accelerometer) and diet outcomes

No effects on primary outcomes. Significant change in 3 secondary outcomes.

Physical activity (accelerometer) and diet outcomes

Some subgroup differences in both directions (e.g. effect on snacking only in low SES, and on central obesity only in high SES). No significant interaction effects.

Neutral e

ASSIST

Campbell et al. 2008

UK

FSM FAS

Education and environment

Smoking status

Significantly lower rise in smoking rates in intervention group.

Smoking status

Neutral (OR for interaction = 0.99) c

Neutral

School fruit scheme

Bere et al. 2010

Norway

Parental education

Environment

Fruit consumption and vegetable consumption

Significant increases in fruit intake – no change in vegetable intake

Fruit consumption and vegetable consumption

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

Crone et al. 2011

Crone et al. 2011

Netherlands

Parental education and student education level

Education

Smoking

Increased intention not to smoke and lower smoking uptake after transition to secondary school.

Smoking

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

EHealth4us

Bannink et al. 2014

Netherlands

Parental education, employment and family affluence

Education

Smoking and alcohol (as secondary measures – primary outcomes mental health)

No significant main effects

All outcomes

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

Energize

Rush et al. 2012

New Zealand

School deprivation decile

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Diet and physical activity (as secondary outcomes – primary outcomes obesity measures)

No significant main effects

Obesity and blood pressure only

Larger effects on BP and body-fat in more affluent schools

Negative

ESFA

Ariza et al. 2008

Spain

Parental education and ‘family economic capacity index’. Neighbourhood SES

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Smoking

Significantly lower rate of increase in smoking in experimental group.

Smoking

Bigger effect in high FECI. No clear difference by parental education

Negative

EUDap

Faggiano et al. 2010

Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden

Area (school) level SES measure

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Smoking and alcohol (plus cannabis and other drugs)

Significant effects found for daily cigarette smoking and episodes of drunkenness in the past 30 days for at least one episode, or three or more episodes..

Alcohol only

Larger effects on alcohol consumption measures in more deprived schools.

Positive

FatAintPhat

Ezendam et al. 2012

Netherlands

School type (vocational or pre-university)

Education

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, fruit and vegetable intake, snacking and sugar sweetened beverages (plus BMI, waist circumference and fitness)

No effect on primary outcomes (BMI). But positive effect on some secondary outcomes (fruit and vegetable intake, snacking and sugar sweetened beverages). Negative effect on step counts.

Fruit and vegetable intake, snacking and sugar sweetened beverages (only variables with a significant and + ve main effect)

Effect on SSB only in higher SES schools. No other significant interactions

Negative

HEIA

Grydeland et al. 2012

Norway

Parental education

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Physical activity (accelerometer) and dietary outcomes (plus obesity outcomes)

Mixed

All outcomes

Greater effect on BMI for higher SES. No interactions for behaviours.

Negative

KOPS

Plachta-Danielzik 2011

Germany

Parental education

Education, environment and family/ community involvement

Healthy eating index, physical activity and media time (as secondary outcomes – primary outcomes obesity measures)

No significant main effects

All outcomes

Bigger effect on BMI for higher SES. No interactions for behaviours.

Negative

Avall

Llargues et al. 2011

Spain

Mother’s/Father’s education

Education, and family/community involvement

Physical activity and diet (as secondary outcomes – primary outcomes obesity measures)

Lower rise in BMI in intervention group. Twenty dietary and physical activity secondary outcomes tested.

BMI only

Effects on BMI only in high SES

Negative

STOPP

Marcus et al.

Sweden

Parental education

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Physical activity and diet (as secondary outcomes – primary outcomes obesity measures)

Effects on BMI among those who were overweight at baseline only. Mixed effects on 8 secondary diet outcomes.

Diet outcomes

Bigger effect on dairy product and fast food intake in low SES.

Positive

MYTRI

Perry et al. 2009

India

School type (government vs private)

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Smoking

Lower increases in smoking or bidi uptake in intervention group.

Smoking

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

PAS

Koning et al. 2009

Netherlands

Parental education and school type (vocational vs academic)

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Alcohol use (Heavy weekly, weekly and frequency)

At first follow-up, only the combined student–parent intervention showed substantial and statistically significant effects on heavy weekly drinking, weekly drinking and frequency of drinking. At second follow-up these results were replicated, except effects on heavy weekly drinking.

Alcohol use (WD and HWD)

Bigger effect on HWD in low-educated adolescents. No moderation of effect on WD.

Positive

Promise

Stallard et al. 2012

UK

Family affluence

Education

Alcohol

No effects on primary outcome, or substance use (measured as secondary)

Mental health outcomes only

Neutral (OR for interaction = −0.45(−1.11 to 0.21))

Neutral

PSFBI

Murphy et al. 2011

UK

School and individual FSM

Environment

Diet (breakfast skipping and healthy/unhealthy items)

Significant improvements in diet quality at breakfast and attitudes toward breakfast. No differences in breakfast skipping, fruit and veg intake or sweets and crisps.

All outcomes

Bigger effect in low SES for breakfast skipping and healthy breakfast items. No other significant interactions. c

Positive

Smart Lunchbox

Evans et al. 2010

UK

FSM

Environment and family/community involvement

Diet outcomes

Intervention group children were provided with more fruit, vegetables, dairy food and starchy food other than bread. Weight of savoury snacks (crisps and other salted snacks) lower for children in the intervention group. Weights of sweetened drinks and confectionery did not change

All outcomes

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

SPACE

Toftager et al. 2014

Denmark

Income and ‘parental SES’

Environment

Physical activity, fitness, active transport and obesity

No significant main effects

All outcomes except active travel

Neutral (statistics not reported)

Neutral

Pro Children d

Te Velde et al. 2008

Netherlands, Spain and Norway

Parental education

Education, environment and family/community involvement

Diet outcomes

Significant effects for fruit and veg intake found at first follow-up. One year later, a significant impact was only observed in Norway.

All outcomes

Non-significant interaction effects (data unreported) Effects on F&V in high and low SES.

Neutral

  1. aBolded item is item used for analysis of differential effects where multiple SES measures collected
  2. bconclusion confirmed by reanalysis conducted as part of project TEENAGE
  3. cno analysis of differential effect by original authors, but re-analysed for Project TEENAGE (Lien et al. 2012)
  4. ddata obtained from authors as unpublished at time of writing