Influence of programmed physical activity on body composition among adolescent students.
OBJECTIVE
To verify the influence of programmed physical activity on body composition among adolescent students during 1 school year.


METHODS
The sample included 383 students (age range: 10 to 15 years) separated into two groups: 186 cases (96 male and 90 female) and 197 controls (108 male and 89 female). This was an intervention study with pre- and post-test assessments in which interventions consisted of programmed physical activity; the control group had conventional school physical education. Body composition was assessed by anthropometric measurements, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and fat and lean body mass.


RESULTS
In the case group, subscapular skinfold thickness, BMI, body fat percentage and fat body mass remained stable; there were significant reductions in tricipital skinfold thickness and in abdominal perimeter among girls and significant increases in arm, waist and calf perimeters and in lean body mass. In the control group, there were significant increases in BMI, tricipital skinfold thickness, abdominal perimeter and fat body mass among girls. At post-test, overweight and obesity significantly decreased among case group subjects, but not among controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Programmed physical activity resulted in improvement or maintenance of body composition parameters and in reduction of overweight and obesity in the intervention group.
Farias
Edson S
ES
Curso de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Paula
Flaviano
F
Carvalho
Wellington R G
WR
Gonçalves
Ezequiel M
EM
Baldin
Alexandre D
AD
Guerra-Júnior
Gil
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors