Journal article icon

Journal article

Family‐based interventions to increase physical activity in children: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and realist synthesis

Abstract:

Objective Family‐based interventions represent a potentially valuable route to increasing child physical activity (PA) in children. A dual meta‐analysis and realist synthesis approach examined existing interventions to assist those developing programmes to encourage uptake and maintenance of PA in children.

Design Studies were screened for inclusion based on including participants aged 5–12 years, having a substantive aim of increasing PA by engaging the family and reporting on PA outcome. Duplicate data extraction and quality assessment were conducted. Meta‐analysis was conducted in STATA. Realist synthesis included theory development and evidence mapping.

Results Forty‐seven studies were included, of which three received a ‘strong’ quality rating, 21 ‘moderate’ and 23 ‘weak’. The meta‐analysis (19 studies) demonstrated a significant small effect in favour of the experimental group (standardized mean difference: 0.41; 95%CI 0.15–0.67). Sensitivity analysis, removing one outlier, reduced this to 0.29 (95%CI 0.14–0.45). Realist synthesis (28 studies) provided insight into intervention context (particularly, family constraints, ethnicity and parental motivation), and strategies to change PA (notably, goal‐setting and reinforcement combined).

Conclusion This review provides key recommendations to inform policy makers and other practitioners in developing evidence‐based interventions aimed at engaging the family to increase PA in children, and identifies avenues for future research.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions


Access Document


Publisher copy:
10.1111/obr.12362

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Primary Care Health Sciences
Role:
Author


Publisher:
Wiley
Journal:
Obesity Reviews More from this journal
Volume:
17
Issue:
4
Pages:
345-360
Publication date:
2016-01-12
Acceptance date:
2015-10-30
DOI:
EISSN:
1467-789X
ISSN:
1467-7881


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
pubs:586273
UUID:
uuid:ecbf132f-ee0c-4534-90f1-f2f13bf8740f
Local pid:
pubs:586273
Source identifiers:
586273
Deposit date:
2016-04-07

Terms of use



Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP