Aerobic Training in Obese Adolescents: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of excess weight/obesity in adolescence has increased, and physical training may be effective in combating this scenario. Objective: To analyze the effect of different intensities of aerobic training on the body composition of obese adolescents undergoing multidisciplinary intervention. Methods: In this study, 107 pubertal (Tanner 3 and 4), obese (BMI=34.72±4.10 kg/m²) adolescents (14.85±1.44 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: high intensity training (HITG -ventilatory threshold I (VTI)); low intensity training (LITG -20% below the VTI) and control group (CG), without intervention. The adolescents in the HITG and LITG underwent nutritional and psychological (1x/week) and clinical (1 x/month) follow-up and physical training (3x/week) for 12 weeks. Results: Reductions in fat mass (FM) and body fat percentage (BFP) (p< 0.001) and an increase in fat-free mass (FFM) (p<0.001) were observed in all groups. There was a reduction in BMI only in the experimental groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: The effects of multidisciplinary treatment on the body composition of obese adolescents occur independently of the intensity of aerobic physical training. Level of Evidence I; High quality randomized clinical studies with or without statistically significant difference, but with narrow confidence intervals.