A new study in CMAJ reports that school-based physical activity has positive health effects on children, although it does not improve body mass index (BMI).
Increasing rates in childhood obesity has become a public health issue. Obesity in children has more than tripled in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and across Europe since 1970, resulting in an increase in coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other obesity-related diseases.
Although many local governments have, or are considering implementing policies to increase physical activity in schools, the recent study conducted with 18,141 children has concluded that there is no significant change in the BMI between children receiving a school-based activity and those in a controlled group.
