Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study

Objectives In this study, we evaluate the long-term effects (±1.5 years postintervention) of 6-year exposure to the Lekker Fit! intervention on physical fitness and physical activity (PA).Design The retrospective intervention evaluation is embedded within the Generation R Study in Rotterdam, the Net...

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Main Authors: Hein Raat, Liesbeth Duijts, Trudy Voortman, Daan Nieboer, Wilma Jansen, Michel Sebastiaan Smit, Famke Mölenberg, Rosalie Mensink-Bout
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-04-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e088272.full
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author Hein Raat
Liesbeth Duijts
Trudy Voortman
Daan Nieboer
Wilma Jansen
Michel Sebastiaan Smit
Famke Mölenberg
Rosalie Mensink-Bout
author_facet Hein Raat
Liesbeth Duijts
Trudy Voortman
Daan Nieboer
Wilma Jansen
Michel Sebastiaan Smit
Famke Mölenberg
Rosalie Mensink-Bout
author_sort Hein Raat
collection DOAJ
description Objectives In this study, we evaluate the long-term effects (±1.5 years postintervention) of 6-year exposure to the Lekker Fit! intervention on physical fitness and physical activity (PA).Design The retrospective intervention evaluation is embedded within the Generation R Study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a population-based prospective birth cohort study.Setting Measurements took place in the research centre of the Generation R cohort study.Participants 5489 adolescents from the Generation R Study were eligible for inclusion within this study. Successful linking to school career data was possible for 4129 adolescents who were then retrospectively subdivided into a Lekker Fit! group, mixed group and regular school group based on their primary school career.Interventions The Lekker Fit! intervention is a multicomponent primary school-based intervention for the prevention of overweight. It focuses on a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle rather than focusing directly on the reduction of overweight. The intervention targets individual behaviour of children as well as their obesogenic environment and parental engagement in shaping their children’s behaviour.Primary and secondary outcome measures Aged 13/14 years old, physical fitness was measured with an incremental ergometer test. The actual highest achieved work rate was divided by the expected highest achieved work rate (age- and sex-related Dutch population-based reference data), and converted into z-scores. PA was determined by the number of days with at least 1 hour of PA, obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Propensity score matching was performed to correct for non-random selection bias. Linear regression analyses were performed to estimate intervention effects.Results Children from the Lekker Fit! group had significantly lower fitness z-scores (−0.18 (95% CI −0.29 to –0.06), n=1826) compared with children from the matched regular school group. No Lekker Fit! intervention effect was found on PA (−0.12 (95% CI −0.36 to 0.12), n=1258).Conclusions No evidence was found for long-term favourable effects of a school-based multicomponent intervention on physical fitness and PA. Recommendations for policy and future research are discussed.
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spelling doaj-art-e5b11f95bb9742258385835ce0b961842025-08-20T03:05:22ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-04-0115410.1136/bmjopen-2024-088272Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R StudyHein Raat0Liesbeth Duijts1Trudy Voortman2Daan Nieboer3Wilma Jansen4Michel Sebastiaan Smit5Famke Mölenberg6Rosalie Mensink-Bout7Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsPediatrics—Division of Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsErasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsPublic Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsPublic Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsPublic Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsPublic Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsErasmus MC, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsObjectives In this study, we evaluate the long-term effects (±1.5 years postintervention) of 6-year exposure to the Lekker Fit! intervention on physical fitness and physical activity (PA).Design The retrospective intervention evaluation is embedded within the Generation R Study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a population-based prospective birth cohort study.Setting Measurements took place in the research centre of the Generation R cohort study.Participants 5489 adolescents from the Generation R Study were eligible for inclusion within this study. Successful linking to school career data was possible for 4129 adolescents who were then retrospectively subdivided into a Lekker Fit! group, mixed group and regular school group based on their primary school career.Interventions The Lekker Fit! intervention is a multicomponent primary school-based intervention for the prevention of overweight. It focuses on a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle rather than focusing directly on the reduction of overweight. The intervention targets individual behaviour of children as well as their obesogenic environment and parental engagement in shaping their children’s behaviour.Primary and secondary outcome measures Aged 13/14 years old, physical fitness was measured with an incremental ergometer test. The actual highest achieved work rate was divided by the expected highest achieved work rate (age- and sex-related Dutch population-based reference data), and converted into z-scores. PA was determined by the number of days with at least 1 hour of PA, obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Propensity score matching was performed to correct for non-random selection bias. Linear regression analyses were performed to estimate intervention effects.Results Children from the Lekker Fit! group had significantly lower fitness z-scores (−0.18 (95% CI −0.29 to –0.06), n=1826) compared with children from the matched regular school group. No Lekker Fit! intervention effect was found on PA (−0.12 (95% CI −0.36 to 0.12), n=1258).Conclusions No evidence was found for long-term favourable effects of a school-based multicomponent intervention on physical fitness and PA. Recommendations for policy and future research are discussed.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e088272.full
spellingShingle Hein Raat
Liesbeth Duijts
Trudy Voortman
Daan Nieboer
Wilma Jansen
Michel Sebastiaan Smit
Famke Mölenberg
Rosalie Mensink-Bout
Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
BMJ Open
title Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
title_full Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
title_fullStr Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
title_full_unstemmed Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
title_short Long-term effects of a primary school-based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity: a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study within the Generation R Study
title_sort long term effects of a primary school based overweight preventive intervention on physical fitness and physical activity a propensity score matched retrospective cohort study within the generation r study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e088272.full
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