title: The effects of an exercise program on anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular parameters in obese children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity is a chronic disease that requires good eating habits and an active life style. Obesity may start in childhood and continue until adulthood. Severely obese children have complications such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and atherosclerosis. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of exercise programs on anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular parameters in obese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty four obese children were included. Anthropometric data such as blood pressures, body mass index (BMI) and obesity index (OI) were measured. Blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), high sensitive-CRP (hs-CRP), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) and ankle brachial index (ABI) were measured. Physical fitness measurements were done. Obese children were divided into three groups: an aerobic exercise group (n=16), a combined exercise group (n=20), and a control group (n=18). Obese children exercised in each program for 10 weeks while those in the control group maintained their former lifestyle. After 10 weeks, anthropometric data and cardiovascular parameters were compared with the data obtained before the exercise program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LDL-C, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the aerobic exercise group compared to the control group (p<0.05). Waist circumference and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the combined exercise group compared to controls (p<0.05). Physical fitness level increased significantly after the exercise programs (p<0.05 vs. control). PWV did not show a significant change after exercise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A short-term exercise program can play an important role in decreasing BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, LDL-C and in improving physical fitness. Future investigations are now necessary to clarify the effectiveness of exercise on various parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Whan
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hae Soon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hee Seong
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Sang-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Jin Kyoung
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jo Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Nam Su
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chung Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Young Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Hong