Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised experimental, within-subjects design, non-equivalent control group designs with pre-test, and time series. Studies were required to have contrasted two groups, as well as include the individual as the unit of analysis.
Specific interventions included in the review
An elementary school-based cardiovascular health promotion programmes with nutrition (heart healthy eating) as a component.
Participants included in the review
Children ages 9-11 (fourth and fifth grades) in the United States.
Outcomes assessed in the review
A quantifiable measure of eating behaviour. The measures used by individual studies included in the review varied. They included self-reports, physiological measures (serum cholesterol), observation of food intake, and anthropometric measures. The majority of studies used self-reports; most used multiple measures. Quantification techniques included calculation the number or percent of heart healthy foods in the diet, percentage of saturated food in diet, food frequencies, number of vegetables and fruit servings, and description of usual food choices.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The author does not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.