Implementation at-scale of school-based physical activity interventions: A systematic review utilizing the RE-AIM...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Promotion

Background:

• School-based interventions are crucial for increasing physical activity in youth.
• Scaling up effective interventions presents challenges in real-world settings.
• The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework offers a tool to assess scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the reporting of RE-AIM dimensions in studies of school-based physical activity interventions implemented at-scale.
• To identify gaps in the evaluation and reporting of scaled-up interventions.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across seven electronic databases.
• Studies published up to June 2019 were included.
• 26 articles representing 14 studies were analyzed for RE-AIM dimension reporting.

Main Results:

• Reporting varied significantly across RE-AIM dimensions.
• Reach (student exposure) was reported in 11 studies, but representativeness was rarely detailed.
• Effectiveness during scale-up was reported in 9 studies, adoption characteristics in none, fidelity in 8, and maintenance in 11 studies.

Conclusions:

• There is considerable variability in how school-based physical activity interventions implemented at-scale are evaluated and reported using the RE-AIM framework.
• Greater consistency is needed in reporting RE-AIM outcomes to effectively scale up interventions and improve public health.
• Standardized reporting is essential for understanding the true impact and sustainability of these programs.