Effects of Exercise and/or Diet Programs on Kinanthropometric and Metabolic Parameters in Obese Children: a Pilot Study

This study was aimed at determining the effects of implementing a medium-term (six-month) exercise and/or a diet program on the kinanthropometric and metabolic parameters of obese children. The participants were 42 subjects (27 boys, 15 girls), whose ages were between 8 and 11, divided into three groups according to the program they followed. The E group followed a physical exercise program (three 90-minute sessions per week), the D group a low calorie diet, and the E+D group both interventions. A repeated-measure ANOVA was used to compare measurements of the participants' kinanthropometric and metabolic parameters at different times of the program, with the means being compared using the Tukey post-hoc test. It was found that medium-term intervention based on the combination of exercise and low calorie diet improved the obese children's kinanthropometric and metabolic parameters, especially those related to the lipid profile. Also, this combined program was more effective in controlling weight than the exercise or low calorie diet interventions alone.