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Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of children at baseline categorised by intervention and control group

From: Effectiveness of a universal parental support programme to promote health behaviours and prevent overweight and obesity in 6-year-old children in disadvantaged areas, the Healthy School Start Study II, a cluster-randomised controlled trial

 

Total

Intervention

Control

p

n

 

n = 378

n = 185 (89 boys/96 girls)

n = 193 (98 boys/95 girls)

  
 

Mean (SD)

Mean (SD)

Mean (SD)

  

Age (years)

6.3 (0.3)

6.3 (0.3)

6.3 (0.3)

0.84

378

Parental low education per family (%)

47.1

43.8

50.3

0.18

345

Parents born outside the Nordic region (%)

80.4

76.5

84.2

0.01

699

Anthropometry

Weight (kg)

24.5 (5.0)

24.2 (5.0)

24.7 (5.0)

0.33

378

Height (cm)

120.3 (5.4)

119.9 (5.1)

120.6 (5.7)

0.23

378

Waist circumference (cm)

56.2 (5.7)

56.1 (5.7)

56.6 (5.7)

0.44

378

Body mass index (kg/m2)

16.8 (2.5)

16.7 (2.4)

16.9 (2.5)

0.51

378

BMI sdsa

0.66 (1.37)

0.62 (1.33)

0.69 (1.42)

0.60

378

Normal weightb (%)

67.5

68.6

66.3

0.63

378

Overweight and obeseb (%)

26.5

25.4

27.5

0.65

378

Underweightb (%)

6.1

5.9

6.2

0.91

378

Physical activity

TPA, all week (cpm)

775 (192)

792 (218)

758 (160)

0.11

327

TPA, weekend (cpm)

639 (207)

627 (211)

651 (204)

0.34

268

MVPA, all week (minutes)

89 (24)

89 (25)

88 (23)

0.82

327

MVPA, weekend (minutes)

66 (27)

64 (27)

69 (26)

0.15

268

Sedentary, all week (minutes)

322 (45)

318 (48)

326 (42)

0.08

327

Sedentary, weekends (minutes)

326 (64)

327 (65)

325 (64)

0.71

268

Child taken to playground etc in the past week (times/week)

2.04 (1.27)

2.00 (1.27)

2.09 (1.29)

0.57

291

Television/computer time (minutes/day)

128 (75)

124 (77)

133 (72)

0.34

301

Diet (servings the previous day)

Fruit juice

0.57 (0.66)

0.56 (0.69)

0.57 (0.62)

0.72

253

Soft drink

0.29 (0.52)

0.26 (0.49)

0.32 (0.54)

0.32

232

Milk

1.21 (0.78)

1.16 (0.76)

1.26 (0.80)

0.18

280

Flavoured milk

0.33 (0.56)

0.28 (0.45)

0.38 (0.65)

0.36

227

Vegetables

1.03 (0.77)

0.95 (0.76)

1.11 (0.79)

0.28

277

Fruits

1.62 (0.96)

1.48 (0.85)

1.76 (1.05)

0.14

294

Snacks (crisps and cheese doodles)

0.31 (0.61)

0.27 (0.52)

0.36 (0.68)

0.26

263

Chocolate/sweets

0.47 (0.68)

0.36 (0.62)

0.57 (0.72)

0.05

276

Ice-cream

0.49 (0.76)

0.35 (0.61)

0.64 (0.87)

0.03

281

Cake/buns/cookies

0.57 (0.79)

0.51 (0.61)

0.64 (0.80)

0.43

274

  1. p = between intervention and control groups
  2. BMI sds body mass index standard deviation score, TPA total physical activity, cpm counts per minute, MVPA moderate to vigorous physical activity
  3. aDefined according to Karlberg et al. 2001
  4. bDefined according to Cole et al. 2012