Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness in Children and Adolescents with Obesity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Examine the current state of literature related to the impact of obesity in children and adolescents on health-related physical fitness and the resultant cardiometabolic disease risk.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cardiorespiratory fitness of children and adolescents has declined over the past few decades which corresponds with an increase in obesity rates. Children with obesity are more likely to have low cardiorespiratory fitness which is associated with higher cardiometabolic disease risk and poorer mental health. The impact of obesity on muscular fitness in children and adolescents is more difficult to ascertain, but in general measures of physical function are lower in children with obesity which has also been associated with higher cardiometabolic disease risk. Components of health-related physical fitness are trending negatively in children and adolescents and appear to be related to the increase in prevalence of obesity. The resultant cardiometabolic disease risk has also risen which suggests a greater disease burden in the future. These disparaging findings highlight the need for aggressive interventions to improve physical fitness in children and adolescents.

The Impact of a Pilot Community Intervention on Health-Related Fitness Measures in Overweight Children

The purpose of this study was to pilot a 5-week community-based intervention on improving measures of health-related fitness in overweight children. Data were obtained from 8 overweight and obese 8- to 14-year-old children. Measurements included muscular fitness (curl-ups and modified pull-ups), aerobic capacity (20 meter progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run [PACER] test), body composition (triceps and calf skinfolds), body mass index (BMI), and flexibility (back saver sit-and-reach). A significant reduction in BMI was observed at post-test compared to baseline (P=0.03). There was a significant decrease in body fat at post-test for boys (P=0.013).