Trial reportTrials2013
The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP), a novel school-based intervention to prevent obesity in school children: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Trials, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions to prevent obesity in children aged 5 to 11 years old.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions for preventing obesity in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Socioeconomic gradients in the effects of universal school-based health behaviour interventions: a systematic review of intervention studies.BMC public health · 2015Pooled it
- The WHO Health Promoting School framework for improving the health and well-being of students and their academic achievement.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Comprehensive Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyles and Prevent Cardiometabolic Diseases in Low-Income School Children From Mexico: Protocol for the ESCOLARISANO Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Trial
- Effectiveness of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) to prevent obesity in UK primary-school children: a cluster randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2018Trial
- Intervention fidelity in the definitive cluster randomised controlled trial of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) trial: findings from the process evaluation.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Trial baseline characteristics of a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-located obesity prevention programme; the Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) trial.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Randomised feasibility trial of a teaching assistant led extracurricular physical activity intervention for 9 to 11 year olds: Action 3:30.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2014Trial
- Qualitative findings from an exploratory trial of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) and their implications for the process evaluation in the definitive trial.BMC public health · 2014Trial
- Evaluation of an intervention mapping framework guided micronutrient literacy program for school children in Mumbai: A quasi-experimental study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Implementation of a grupal intervention program for the treatment of obesity in children: PinPO.Trials · 2025Article
- Fostering Engagement With Health and Housing Innovation: Development of Participant Personas in a Social Housing Cohort.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOver the last three decades there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of children who are overweight or obese. The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) is a novel school-based intervention, using highly interactive and creative delivery methods to prevent obesity in children. METHODS/
designWe describe a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of HeLP. The intervention has been developed using intervention mapping (involving extensive stakeholder involvement) and has been guided by the Information, Motivation, Behavioural Skills model. HeLP includes creating a receptive environment, drama activities, goal setting and reinforcement activities and runs over three school terms. Piloting showed that 9 to 10 year olds were the most receptive and participative. This study aims to recruit 1,300 children from 32 schools (over half of which will have ≥19% of pupils eligible for free school meals) from the southwest of England. Participating schools will be randomised to intervention or control groups with baseline measures taken prior to randomisation. The primary outcome is change in body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS) at 24 months post baseline. Secondary outcomes include, waist circumference and percent body fat SDS and proportion of children classified as overweight or obese at 18 and 24 months and objectively measured physical activity and food intake at 18 months. Between-group comparisons will be made using random effects regression analysis taking into account the hierarchical nature of the study design. An economic evaluation will estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of HeLP, compared to control, from the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS)/third party payer. An in-depth process evaluation will provide insight into how HeLP works, and whether there is any differential uptake or engagement with the programme. DISCUSSION: The results of the trial will provide evidence on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme in affecting the weight status of children.
trial registrationISRCTN15811706.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.