The effects of a health education intervention initiated at first grade over a 3 year period: physical activity and fitness indices

Abstract

A health education intervention was carried out for three consecutive years on primary school Cretan children. Baseline measures were obtained from 962 pupils (509 boys and 453 girls) registered in first grade in 1992. The health education intervention programme was directed at both the children of the intervention group and their parents, and has a projected duration of 6 years. After the completion of the 3 years of intervention and while pupils were in fourth grade, measures were obtained for evaluation purposes on a random subsample of 393 pupils of the original cohort. Statistically greater improvements in the intervention, as opposed to the control group, were observed for both children's and parents' health knowledge, and children's standing broad jump, sit-ups (SUP), sit-and-reach, handgrip and endurance run test (ERT). Furthermore, time spent on moderate to vigorous physical activities out of school significantly increased for intervention group children compared to the control group. Statistically smaller increases in the intervention as opposed to the control group were observed in suprailiac skinfold and body mass index. The degree of improvement in both SUP and ERT related positively to parent's baseline physical activity score. Finally, the parental attitude of health-related hedonism related negatively to SUP improvement.