Effect of intervention programs in schools to reduce screen time: A meta-analysis

Objective to evaluate the effects of intervention program strategies on the time spent on activities such as watching television,playing videogames,and using the computer among schoolchildren. sources a search for randomized controlled trials available in the literature was performed in the following electronic databases: pubmed,lilacs,embase,scopus,web of science,and cochrane library using the following keywords randomized controlled trial,intervention studies,sedentary lifestyle,screen time,and school. a summary measure based on the standardized mean difference was used with a 95% confidence interval. data synthesis a total of 1,552 studies were identified,of which 16 were included in the meta-analysis. the interventions in the randomized controlled trials (n = 8,785) showed a significant effect in reducing screen time,with a standardized mean difference (random effect) of: -0.25 (-0.37,-0.13),p < 0.01. conclusion interventions have demonstrated the positive effects of the decrease of screen time among schoolchildren. © 2014 sociedade brasileira de pediatria.