Effectiveness of interventions targeting physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight for university and college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ronald C Plotnikoff,Jennifer Allen,Sara L Robards,Robin Callister,Rebecca L Williams,Clare E Collins,Sarah G Kennedy,John Germov,Sarah A Costigan,Melinda J Hutchesson

doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0203-7

Abstract

To examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving physical activity, diet, and/or weight-related behaviors amongst university/college students. Five online databases were searched (January 1970 to April 2014). Experimental study designs were eligible for inclusion. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer using a standardized form developed by the researchers and checked by a second reviewer. Data were described in a narrative synthesis and meta-analyses were conducted when appropriate. Study quality was also established. Forty-one studies were included; of these, 34 reported significant improvements in one of the key outcomes. Of the studies examining physical activity 18/29 yielded significant results, with meta-analysis demonstrating significant increases in moderate physical activity in intervention groups compared to control. Of the studies examining nutrition, 12/24 reported significantly improved outcomes; only 4/12 assessing weight loss outcomes found significant weight reduction. This appears to be the first systematic review of physical activity, diet and weight loss interventions targeting university and college students. Tertiary institutions are appropriate settings for implementing and evaluating lifestyle interventions, however more research is needed to improve such strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0203-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Physical inactivity and poor dietary-intake are related behaviors that impact on health and wellbeing and the maintenance of a healthy weight
The objective of this paper is to systematically review the best available evidence regarding the impact of health behavior interventions to improve physical activity, diet and/
Weight loss was the sole focus in two studies [52,59], physical activity in 11 studies [5,19,41,43,45,46,57,58,63,70,72], and nutrition was the focus of 10 studies [9,39,42,44,48,49,51,53,61,62]

Summary

Introduction

Physical inactivity and poor dietary-intake are related behaviors that impact on health and wellbeing and the maintenance of a healthy weight. These behaviors underpin risk of lifestyle related non-communicable conditions [1]. The prevalence of achieving physical activity recommendations declines rapidly between the ages of 18 and 24 [5] when many young people are undertaking tertiary education [6,7,8]. In the United States nearly half of all university students are not achieving recommended levels of physical activity [9]. Australian data in the ≥18 year age group indicate 66.9% are sedentary or have low levels of physical activity during 2011-2012 [10]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion