BMJ  2007;335:677-678 (6 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39345.679514.80

Editorials

Encouraging children and adolescents to be more active

Well evaluated complex interventions are still needed

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Physically active children and adolescents are at reduced risk of developing risk factors for cardiovascular disease,1 and they are likely to have enhanced mental and emotional wellbeing.2 However, as with other developed countries, in the United Kingdom, three out of 10 boys and four out of 10 girls are estimated not to take the recommended 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity.3 This is important, because in 2003, 28% of children in the UK were estimated to be overweight or obese.4

In this week's BMJ, Van Sluijs and colleagues report a systematic review of interventions to promote physical activity in children and adolescents.5 The review found weak or inconclusive evidence for the effectiveness of strategies to promote children's physical activity. It confirmed lessons from tobacco control6—that at least in adolescents the most effective interventions have many components and are undertaken in multiple settings (school, . . . [Full text of this article]

Billie Giles-Corti, professor1, Jo Salmon, senior research fellow2

1 School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia 6009, 2 Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia 3125

Billie.Giles-Corti@uwa.edu.au


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Relevant Article

Effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity in children and adolescents: systematic review of controlled trials
Esther M F van Sluijs, Alison M McMinn, and Simon J Griffin
BMJ 2007 335: 703. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Terre, L. (2008). Back-to-School Health Promotion. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE 2: 402-405 [Abstract]  

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