Introduction
Low levels of physical activity and of fruit and vegetable
consumption in childhood track into adulthood.1-3 They are
associated with adverse health outcomes, including greater
adiposity and associated adverse cardiometabolic risk factors,
poorer bone mineralisation, behavioural problems, low mood,
and poorer academic attainment.4-10
School based interventions have the potential to reach the vast
majority of children, and systematic reviews of school based
interventions aimed at increasing physical activity, decreasing
sedentary behaviour, and improving fruit and vegetable
consumption suggest some beneficial effect.11-16 However, they
also highlight the generally poor quality of included studies and
caution that the pooled results might exaggerate the effectiveness
of the interventions.