Effect of the KaziBantu school-based health intervention on non-communicable disease risk factors of children from low-income schools in Gqeberha, South Africa

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of a 20-week school-based intervention programme on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors of children from low-income schools in Gqeberha, South Africa. A cluster randomised control trial was used to test the intervention, which included three components, namely the [1] KaziKidz toolkit, [2] a physical education (PE) coach and [3] two 90-min KaziKidz training workshops. The intervention was staggered across four schools differentiated by the level of intervention support, while another four schools formed the control group. A total of 961 children (491 boys, 10.88±1.19 years) from grades 4 to 6 were recruited from eight low-income schools. Measures included waist circumference, blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and accelerometer-based moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the effects of the intervention conditions, controlling for the children’s pre-intervention results, age, height, and gender. The post-intervention comparison of the NCD risk factors of children who received interventions with external support showed positive outcomes. Improvements in children’s NCD risk factors and MVPA levels were associated with the interventions, which included training workshops and, in some cases, a PE coach. The KaziKidz toolkit (on its own) showed little to no improvements in NCD risk factors and MVPA levels. School-based interventions providing teacher support may have a positive impact on NCD risk factors and PA behaviours of children attending under-resourced schools. These findings add to our understanding of implementing interventions in resource-scarce schools where teachers are inadequately trained to teach PE.