Educational and environmental interventions for cardiovascular health promotion in socially disadvantaged primary schools

Abstract

School-based cardiovascular risk-reduction programs have the potential to influence lifelong habits intrinsic to good health. Following earlier Australian Body owner's Manual (BOM) intervention trials, we examined the effects of two interventions on physiological indicators of risk of cardiovascular disease and on health knowledge: the BOM; and the BOM plus healthy life style programs for teachers and school-canteen interventions (BOM+) over two school years in socially disadvantaged primary schools. Each school was allocated to either a control condition or to one of two intervention conditions. In contrast to the findings of the earlier South Australian trials, there were no statistically-significant changes in aerobic fitness, body fatness or HDL cholesterol; there were significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration for those in the BOM+ schools. There were significant increases in health and nutrition knowledge for the BOM+ schools, and in health knowledge for the BOM schools.