title: Effects of a 2-year healthy eating and physical activity intervention for 3-6-year-olds in communities of high and low socio-economic status: the POP (Prevention of Overweight among Pre-school and school children) project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based, 2-year, multi-component intervention on BMI, eating and physical activity behaviour in Flanders, Belgium, targeting children aged 3-6 years in communities of high and low socio-economic status (SES).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cluster-randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one pre-primary and primary schools in three different intervention communities and three paired-matched (on SES profile) control communities in Flanders, Belgium.
  
  
  METHODS
  BMI Z-scores at baseline and follow-up were calculated for 1102 children. Questionnaires with sociodemographic data and FFQ were available from 694 of these 1102 children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant effects were found on BMI Z-scores for the total sample. However, there was a significant decrease in BMI Z-score of 0·11 in the low-SES intervention community compared with the low-SES control community, where the BMI Z-score increased by 0·04 (F = 6·26, P = 0·01). No significant intervention effects could be found for eating behaviour, physical activity or screen-time. There were no significant interaction effects of age and gender of the children on the outcome variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although no significant effects were found for BMI Z-scores in the total sample, this intervention had a promising effect in the low-SES community of reducing excess weight gain among young children.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Valerie.DeCoen@Ugent.be
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Coen
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vereecken
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verbestel
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haerens
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Lippevelde
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maes
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058870:Food, Organic; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires