Effectiveness of family-based intervention programs on objectively measured physical activity in children under 13: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Introduction: To use a quantitative approach to investigate the effectiveness the randomized controlled trials of family-based intervention programs on objectively measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in children under 13. Methods PubMed, Medline, Web of Science and Embase were searched from January 2013 to February 2024. Intervention studies that investigated the effectiveness of family-based interventions on objectively measured MVPA among children under 13 and the randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis. Lastly, subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the potential modifying effects of family-based intervention’s characteristics and study quality. Results Ten articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Studies investigated a range of outcomes, including moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, sedentary behavior and fundamental motor skills. Meta-analysis showed that family intervention had a significant effect on MVPA (WMD = 5.13, 95%CI = 1.09, 9.17, p = 0.01, I ²  = 61%; p = 0.006), especially for the fundamental motor skills (WMD = 5.77, 95%CI = 3.87, 7.67, p < 0.00001), but not for SB (WMD=-.1.34, 95%CI=-6.85, 4.18, p = 0.63). Subgroup analyses indicated there was a significant effect in the short-term intervention (WMD = 9.08, 95%CI = 2.54, 15.62, p = 0.007) with heterogeneity results (I ²  = 37%; p = 0.19) and in the weekend (SMD = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.33, 0.93, p < 0.0001), with heterogeneity results (I ²  = 35%, p = 0.21). Conclusions Family-based intervention could be a promising way to promote children’s MVPA, especially for fundamental motor skills. Future researches could be pay more attention to tailored interventions which refer to the funny activities, focus on the fragmented time on weekdays, relate to stay close to nature. Trial Registration: Meta-analysis PROSPERO: CRD42023488011