Objective To assess the long term effects of an obesity prevention programme in schools.
Design Longitudinal results after a cluster randomised controlled trial.
Setting Schools in southwest England.
Participants Of the original sample of 644 children aged 7-11, 511 children were tracked and measurements were obtained from 434 children three years after baseline.
Intervention The intervention was conducted over one school year, with four sessions of focused education promoting a healthy diet and discouraging the consumption of carbonated drinks.
Main outcome measures Anthropometric measures of height, weight, and waist circumference. Body mass index (BMI) converted to z scores (SD scores) and to centile values with growth reference curves. Waist circumference was also converted to z scores (SD scores).
Results At three years after baseline the age and sex specific BMI z scores (SD scores) had increased in the control group by 0.10 (SD 0.53) but decreased in the intervention group by –0.01 (SD 0.58), with a mean difference of 0.10 (95% confidence interval –0.00 to 0.21, P=0.06). The prevalence of overweight increased in both the intervention and control group at three years and the significant difference between the groups seen at 12 months was no longer evident. The BMI increased in the control group by 2.14 (SD 1.64) and the intervention group by 1.88 (SD 1.71), with mean difference of 0.26 (–0.07 to 0.58, P= 0.12). The waist circumference increased in both groups after three years with a mean difference of 0.09 (–0.06 to 0.26, P=0.25).
Conclusions These longitudinal results show that after a simple year long intervention the difference in prevalence of overweight in children seen at 12 months was not sustained at three years.
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