Sammanfattning
Objective. To assess the effectiveness of a two-year school-based intervention, consisting of
integrated and replicable physical activity and nutritional education on weight, fat percentage,
cardiovascular risk factors, and blood pressure. Design and setting. Six elementary schools in
Reykjavik were randomly assigned to be either intervention (n = 3) or control (n = 3) schools. Seven-
year-old children in the second grade in these schools were invited to participate (n = 321); 268 (83%)
underwent some or all of the measurements. These 286 children were followed up for two years.
Intervention. Children in intervention schools participated in an integrated and replicable physical
activity programme, increasing to approximately 60 minutes of physical activity during school in the
second year of intervention. Furthermore, they received special information about nutrition, and
parents, teachers, and school food service staff were all involved in the intervention. Subjects.
321seven-year-old schoolchildren. Main outcome measures. Blood pressure, obesity, percentage of
body fat, lipid profile, fasting insulin. Results. Children in the intervention group had a 2.3 mmHg
increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a 2.9 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
over the two-year intervention period, while children in the control group increased SBP by 6.7 mmHg
and DPB by 8.4 mmHg. These changes were not statistically significant. Furthermore there were no
significant changes in percentage body fat, lipid profile, or fasting insulin between the intervention
and control schools. Conclusion. A two-year school-based intervention with increased physical
activity and healthy diet did not have a significant effect on common cardiovascular risk factors.