TY - JOUR
T1 - Effectiveness of school-based interventions on fundamental movement skills in children
T2 - a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Yin, Xinyi
AU - Zhang, Danqing
AU - Shen, Yangyang
AU - Wang, Yuchen
AU - Wang, Zhenghan
AU - Liu, Yang
N1 - This study is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3305801), the Program for Overseas High-level Talents at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning (TP2022102) and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Human Performance (Shanghai University of Sport, 11DZ2261100).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
PY - 2025/4/24
Y1 - 2025/4/24
N2 - Background: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are essential prerequisites for children’s active participation in physical activities (PA), which plays a crucial role in promoting both physical and mental health, ultimately contributing to their overall well-being. Children spend a significant portion of their time in school, making it a critical setting for the development of their FMS. However, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the effects of school-based interventions on FMS have not been summarized. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of school-based interventions on FMS in children.Methods: This study employed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 2014 and 2024. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. A total of 15,930 publications were searched in the Web of Science (WOS), PubMed, and EBSCOhost databases. Two rounds of literature screening were conducted, including duplicate removal and title and abstract screening. Data analysis was conducted using Review Manager version 5.4, with meta-analysis performed using a random effects model. Publication bias was assessed using Stata version 18. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale.Results: A total of thirty-three studies from 14 countries were included in the analysis. Among them, thirty (90.91%) studies demonstrated that their interventions were effective. Thirty-one (93.94%) studies were implemented within classroom settings. Twenty-one (63.64%) studies had an intervention duration of less than 60 min. Twelve (36.36%) studies were conducted twice a week. Sixteen (48.48%) studies lasted less than 10 weeks. Meta-analysis of nine interventions indicated significant effects on overall FMS proficiency (SMD = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.21–1.16, I2 = 94%). Meta-analysis indicated that interventions with a duration of 60 min or more, a frequency of 3 times or more a week, and a period of 10 to 20 weeks were efficacious at enhancing FMS in children.Conclusions: School-based interventions are effective in promoting children’s FMS. Long-duration, high-frequency, medium- and long-period interventions may be optimal for enhancing FMS. Registration: 42,024,509,106.
AB - Background: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are essential prerequisites for children’s active participation in physical activities (PA), which plays a crucial role in promoting both physical and mental health, ultimately contributing to their overall well-being. Children spend a significant portion of their time in school, making it a critical setting for the development of their FMS. However, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the effects of school-based interventions on FMS have not been summarized. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of school-based interventions on FMS in children.Methods: This study employed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 2014 and 2024. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. A total of 15,930 publications were searched in the Web of Science (WOS), PubMed, and EBSCOhost databases. Two rounds of literature screening were conducted, including duplicate removal and title and abstract screening. Data analysis was conducted using Review Manager version 5.4, with meta-analysis performed using a random effects model. Publication bias was assessed using Stata version 18. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale.Results: A total of thirty-three studies from 14 countries were included in the analysis. Among them, thirty (90.91%) studies demonstrated that their interventions were effective. Thirty-one (93.94%) studies were implemented within classroom settings. Twenty-one (63.64%) studies had an intervention duration of less than 60 min. Twelve (36.36%) studies were conducted twice a week. Sixteen (48.48%) studies lasted less than 10 weeks. Meta-analysis of nine interventions indicated significant effects on overall FMS proficiency (SMD = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.21–1.16, I2 = 94%). Meta-analysis indicated that interventions with a duration of 60 min or more, a frequency of 3 times or more a week, and a period of 10 to 20 weeks were efficacious at enhancing FMS in children.Conclusions: School-based interventions are effective in promoting children’s FMS. Long-duration, high-frequency, medium- and long-period interventions may be optimal for enhancing FMS. Registration: 42,024,509,106.
KW - Children
KW - Effectiveness
KW - Fundamental movement skills
KW - Intervention
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - School
KW - Systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105003408263&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12889-025-22696-2
DO - 10.1186/s12889-025-22696-2
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 40275209
AN - SCOPUS:105003408263
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 25
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
IS - 1
M1 - 1522
ER -
