Corrigendum to: Supporting consulting paediatrics in rural, remote or vulnerable communities in British Columbia: Time for national collaboration.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxab043.].

Supporting consulting paediatrics in rural, remote, or vulnerable communities in British Columbia: Time for national collaboration.

Rural consultant paediatricians in Canada are in short supply. Rural communities across the country could benefit from the implementation of strategies to ensure access to consistent, local consultant paediatric care. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural paediatricians face unique challenges, including significant call requirements, potential risk of burnout and difficulty in recruitment. In response to these challenges, a number of strategies to bolster the provision of paediatric care to rural, remote, and underserved communities have evolved in British Columbia, including virtual support, the development of a rural paediatric network, and new training opportunities. It is time for discussions about the vulnerability of consulting paediatric care in rural or underserved communities to occur at the national level. National engagement will foster collaboration, drive research, and facilitate workforce planning, with the goal of ensuring that all Canadian communities have access to consulting paediatric care.

Effect of school-based physical activity interventions on body mass index in children: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Many local governments have enacted policies to increase physical activity in schools as a way to combat childhood obesity. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of school-based physical activity interventions on body mass index (BMI) in children. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to September 2008. We also hand-searched relevant journals and article reference lists. We included randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials that had objective data for BMI from before and after the intervention, that involved school-based physical activity interventions and that lasted for a minimum of 6 months. RESULTS: Of 398 potentially relevant articles that we identified, 18 studies involving 18 141 children met the inclusion criteria. The participants were primarily elementary school children. The study duration ranged from 6 months to 3 years. In 15 of these 18 studies, there was some type of co-intervention. Meta-analysis showed that BMI did not improve with physical activity interventions (weighted mean difference -0.05 kg/m(2), 95% confidence interval -0.19 to 0.10). We found no consistent changes in other measures of body composition. INTERPRETATION: School-based physical activity interventions did not improve BMI, although they had other beneficial health effects. Current population-based policies that mandate increased physical activity in schools are unlikely to have a significant effect on the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity.