CONTEXT: Existing reviews of physical activity (PA) interventions designed to increase PA behavior exclusively in children (ages 5 to 11years) focus primarily on the efficacy (eg, internal validity) of the interventions without addressing the applicability of the results in terms of generalizability and translatability (eg, external validity). OBJECTIVE: This review used the RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy/Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework to measure the degree to which randomized and non-randomized PA interventions in children report on internal and external validity factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic search for controlled interventions conducted within the past 12 years identified 78 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Based on the RE-AIM criteria, most of the studies focused on elements of internal validity (eg, sample size, intervention location and efficacy/effectiveness) with minimal reporting of external validity indicators (eg, representativeness of participants, start-up costs, protocol fidelity and sustainability). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this RE-AIM review emphasize the need for future PA interventions in children to report on real-world challenges and limitations, and to highlight considerations for translating evidence-based results into health promotion practice.
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