title: [Effect of physical exercise on bodyweight in overweight children: a randomized controlled trial in a Brazilian slum].
abstract: Given the increase in obesity in developed and developing countries and its concomitant morbidity, successful treatment approaches are needed. We examined the effect of a structured exercise intervention in overweight children in a slum in Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. This was a randomized, controlled efficacy trial. Seventy-eight children were randomized. Exercise was supervised, consisting of three 50' group aerobics sessions per week for six months. All participants maintained ad libitum diets. Based on intention-to-treat analyses, children in both groups had a significant increase in weight at follow-up (p-value for within-group increase < or = 0.01). The increase in weight was significantly lower in the exercise group (mean difference between groups; -1.37; 95%CI: -2.00; -0.74). A significant difference (p = 0.049) between the exercise and control groups at six-month follow-up was also found for BMI (mean difference between groups; -0.53; 95%CI: -1.06; -0.002). When we restricted the analyses to children who completed the trial (intervention = 30 and control = 38), the results were the same. An exercise program for children, sustained for six months, was effective for reducing weight gain in overweight children living in a very poor neighborhood.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Materno Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira, Recife, Brasil. joaoguilherme@imip.org.br
authors.forename: João Guilherme B
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Catharine R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Galé
authors.forename: Edvaldo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Batty
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011204:Poverty Areas