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

AbstractObjectiveto evaluate the effects of intervention program strategies on the time spent on activities such as watching television, playing videogames, and using the computer among school children.Sourcesa 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 synthesisa 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