Body Composition Changes during a Multidisciplinary Treatment Programme in Overweight Adolescents: Evasyon Study.

INTRODUCTION the main objectives of weight-loss interventions are to decrease fat mass while maintaining fatfree mass. OBJECTIVE our aim was to address effectiveness body composition changes in overweight adolescents assessed by different body composition methods following an obesity intervention programme. MATERIAL AND METHODS the life-style intervention was multi-disciplinary, with 13 months follow-up. Participants were 13-to-16 year-old overweight, or obese, Spanish adolescents. The adolescents (n = 156; 54.8% females) had body composition measured with anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and air-displacement plethysmography. All measurements were made at baseline, and after 2- and 13-months. Repeated measures analysis of covariance to compare mean anthropometric changes over time and the Bonferroni correction were applied. Imputation of anthropometric measures was performed. RESULTS a high significant decrease in fat mass index was achieved in males after 2-and 13-months of intervention as measured by anthropometry (1.16 and 1.56 kg / m2, respectively), X-ray absorptiometry (1.51 and 1.91 kg / m2) and plethysmography (2.13 and 2.44 kg/m2). Moreover, a short and long-term maintenance of fat-and fat-free mass index was observed by X-ray absorptiometry in females (0.94 and 0.68 kg/m2). CONCLUSION our multidisciplinary approach to lifestyle intervention has a favourable impact on body fat mass and fat-free mass index as well as waist-to-height ratio, over 13 months intervention in overweight and obese adolescents.