School-Based Family-Oriented Health Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to systematically review and analyse intervention programs in a school context centred on the family, focused on increasing youths' physical activity.

Data source

The research was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases.

Study inclusion criteria

Studies were included if participants were children or adolescents, focusing on school-based intervention studies with parental involvement and physical activity, sedentary behaviour or physical fitness outcomes.

Data extraction

The search was performed according to the PRISMA protocol. A total of 416 articles were identified. After being considered for eligibility and duplicates, 22 studies were identified as relevant for inclusion.

Data synthesis

Sample and intervention characteristics, objective, the role of the family, outcomes measures, main findings regarding the outcomes and risk of bias.

Results

Ten studies reported improvements in physical activity, 6 in sedentary behaviour and 9 in the components of physical fitness and/or skills related to healthy behaviours and lifestyles. Most of the interventions adopted a multidisciplinary and multi-component approach.

Conclusions

Most interventions employed a school’s multidisciplinary/multi-component approach to promoting physical activity, nutrition, and general education for healthier lifestyle behaviours. The impact of school-based interventions involving families on youth’s physical activity levels is still a relatively emerging theme. Further research is needed given the diversity of the intervention’s characteristics and the disparity in the results’ efficacy.