Table 1.
Long-Term Studies or Preventive Interventions in Children and Adolescents
| Reference | Sample | Design | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epstein et al., 2001 (102) | 26 children | 12-mo RCT | 1.1% decrease in overweight prevalence with increased fruits and vegetables vs 2.4% with decreased fat and sugar |
| 6–11 y old | Increased fruits and vegetables vs decreased fat and sugar | Differences not significant | |
| James et al., 2004 (103) | 644 children | 1-y intervention; classrooms randomized to reduce sugar drink consumption | No significant difference in BMI z-score |
| 7–11 y old | |||
| Ebbeling et al., 2012 (104) | 224 overweight or obese adolescents; mean age 15 y | RCT | Significantly lower rates of weight gain in intervention group |
| Sugar-free drinks and behavior modification vs untreated control | |||
| de Ruyter et al., 2012 (105) | 641 children | 18-mo RCT | Significantly lower rates of weight gain among group receiving sugar-free drinks |
| 5–12 y old | Sugar-free drinks vs drinks containing sugar at lunch | ||
| Sallis et al., 2009 (106) | 995 4th and 5th grade students | PE taught by PE instructor or teacher vs control | Some fitness measures improved in girls |
| No significant differences in changes in skinfolds | |||
| Caballero et al., 2003 (107) | 1704 Native American children 8–11 y old | 3-y study randomized by schools to control or intervention (41 schools); | No significant difference in body composition or PA |
| changes in dietary intake, increased PA, classroom curriculum changes, family involvement | |||
| Gortmaker et al., 1999 (108) | 1295 6th–7th grade students | 2-y RCT with five intervention and five control schools | Decreased prevalence of obesity in girls |
| Decreased TV, decreased fat and increased fruit and vegetable intakes, and PA | |||
| Plachta-Danielzek et al., 2011 (109) | 240 intervention and 952 nonintervention children | Nutrition intervention delivered within schools and daily running games vs controls | No significant difference in increases in overweight between intervention and control students in 8-y follow-up |
| Mean age 6 y old | Significant decreases in BMI z-scores with upper income students | ||
| Sahota et al., 2001 (110) | 636 children, 7–11 y old | Randomized by school. Teacher training, changes in school meals, and development of school actions plans to promote healthy eating and PA | No significant differences in BMI in intervention compared with control schools |
| 314 intervention | |||
| 322 control |
Abbreviations: PA, physical activity; PE, physical education; RCT, randomized controlled trial; TV, television.