title: Promoting healthful diet and physical activity in the Mexican school system for the prevention of obesity in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper describes the rationale, design, and methods of a two-year randomized controlled trial conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an environmental intervention in 27 elementary schools in Mexico City.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were two units of analysis, school level addressing changes in elementary public part-time schools, and individual-level addressing behavioral changes in students 9 to 11 years of age. Two intensities of an intervention program were implemented (basic and plus), each containing two intervention components: physical activity and nutrition, supported by a communication/education component. Evaluation of the intervention was carried out during the school cycles 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary outcomes were overweight and obesity prevalence and fitness; environmental and behavioural measures were also examined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first institutional multilevel, multifactorial project, consistent with the best practices available in current literature, carried out in Mexico to prevent childhood obesity in schools.
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Safdie
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Inés
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-Casanova
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salvo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Islas
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hernández-Cordero
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Anabelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonvecchio
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rivera
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001823:Body Composition; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D060766:Drinking Water; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005523:Food Supply; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009043:Motor Activity; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools; D013663:Teaching; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water