Getting children to move more during lessons could help reduce obesity, a study has revealed.
Researchers at University College London and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH) found that introducing more movement into lessons led to an 8 per cent reduction in children’s waist-to-height ratio.
The latest NHS figures show that nearly a quarter of children (24.8 per cent) in Year 6 were obese in London as of October last year. It is the third highest figure of any region in England, behind the North East (25.8 per cent) and the West Midlands (25.2 per cent).
Children from poorer areas are more than twice as likely as those from the least deprived areas to be obese.
For the study, the academics looked at the effect of reducing sedentary time, rather than increasing exercise, on physical activity and obesity in children at 30 UK state primary schools.
Teachers at 26 of those schools were trained to include Active Movement in lessons, with four control schools continuing to teach as normal.
Active Movement is a programme that integrates behaviors such as standing and walking in the classroom. It was designed to integrate low-level physical activity into a child's normal school routine without disrupting the curriculum.
In the schools where more movement was introduced, children's waist-to-height ratio was reduced by 8 per cent and sport participation increased by 10 per cent between the first and third term of the year.
Professor Mike Loosemore, senior author of the study from UCL Division of Surgery, said: "Our results show that reducing sedentary behaviors during school time can be an effective obesity reduction strategy for primary school children who are overweight.
"What's even more encouraging is that this method was effective regardless of the child's socio-economic status, age or gender. It is something that schools could introduce without needing to invest heavily in equipment or staff, and everyone will benefit."
Children from the poorest areas are likely to attend schools with fewer resources than those in more affluent areas.
Researchers said the approach trialed in this study was valuable as it does not require schools to spend money on equipment or staff to implement it.
Dr Flaminia Ronca, first author of the study from UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, said: "By introducing movement into teaching in creative ways, such as standing up to answer questions or walking around the classroom as part of a learning exercise, we can significantly reduce their sedentary time and our study shows that this can lead to a recognizable improvement in their waist-to-height ratio."
