Gender differences on effectiveness of a school-based physical activity intervention for reducing cardiometabolic risk: a cluster randomized trial

Background:
Studies that have examined the impact of a physical activity intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors have yielded conflicting results. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a standardized physical activity program on adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors in schoolchildren.
Methods:
Cluster randomized trial study of 712 schoolchildren, 8?10 years, from 20 public schools in the Province of Cuenca, Spain. The intervention (MOVI-2) consisted of play-based and non-competitive activities. MOVI-2 was conducted during two 90-minute sessions on weekdays and one 150-minute session on Saturday mornings every week between September 2010 and May 2011. We measured changes in adiposity (overweight/obesity prevalence, body mass index [BMI], triceps skinfold thickness [TST], body fat %, fat-free mass, waist circumference) and other cardiometabolic risk factors (LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides/HDL-cholesterol ratio, insulin, C-reactive protein and blood pressure). The analyses used mixed regression models to adjust for baseline covariates under cluster randomization.
Results:
Among girls, we found a reduction of adiposity in intervention versus control schools, with a decrease in TST (?1.1?mm; 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.3 to ?0.7), body fat % (?0.9%; 95% CI ?1.3 to ?0.4), waist circumference (?2.7?cm; 95% CI ?4.5 to ?0.9), and an increase in fat-free mass (0.3?kg; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.6). The intervention also led to lower serum LDL-cholesterol and insulin levels. Among boys, a reduction in waist circumference (?1.4?cm; 95% CI ?2.6 to ?0.1; P?=?0.03), and an increase in fat-free mass (0.5?kg; 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9; P?=?0.003) was associated with the intervention versus control schools. The prevalence of overweight/obesity or underweight, BMI, and other cardiometabolic risk factors was not modified by the intervention. No important adverse events were registered.
Conclusions:
An extracurricular intervention of non-competitive physical activity during an academic year, targeting all schoolchildren regardless of body weight, is a safe and effective measure to reduce adiposity in both genders and to improve cardiometabolic risk profile in girls.Trial registrationClinical trials NCT01277224.