Heart healthy eating behaviors of children following a school-based intervention: a meta-analysis.

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the effects of school-based interventions on heart healthy eating behaviors of fourth and fifth grade students. The overall effect size (d value) across 12 studies was .24. The 95% confidence interval ranged from .174 to .301. It can be concluded that the school-based cardiovascular health promotion programs had a significant effect on the heart healthy eating behaviors of student participants. Recommendations include identification of reliable measures and inclusion of culturally diverse populations in future studies.