title: Impact of the FITKids physical activity intervention on adiposity in prepubertal children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of a 9-month physical activity intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity among prepubertal children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prepubertal children (8- to 9-year-olds, N = 220, 103 girls) were randomly assigned to a 9-month physical activity intervention or a control group. The intervention provided 70 minutes (5 days/week) of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Maximum oxygen consumption (Vo2max percentile) and dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry measured cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity, respectively. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed to assess baseline and follow-up cardiorespiratory fitness, percentage fat mass (%FM), percentage central fat mass (%CFM), and estimated visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention group increased in cardiorespiratory fitness (5.4th percentile; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8 to 8.9) and decreased in %FM (-0.7%; 95% CI, -1.1 to -0.4) and %CFM (-1.3%; 95% CI, -1.9 to -0.7). Reductions in %FM were evident for both nonoverweight (-0.62%; 95% CI, -1.07 to -0.17) and overweight or obese (-0.86%; 95% CI,-1.46 to -0.25) intervention participants. Conversely, the control group displayed no change in cardiorespiratory fitness while exhibiting increases in %FM (0.4%; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.7), %CFM (0.6; 95% CI, 0.1 to 1.1), and VAT area (3.0 cm(2); 95% CI, 1.6 to 4.4). Nonoverweight control participants increased in %FM (0.52%; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.91), and their overweight and obese counterparts increased in VAT (4.76 cm(2); 95% CI, 1.90 to 7.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The physical activity intervention improved cardiorespiratory fitness, reduced %FM, and prevented accumulation of %CFM among prepubertal children with varying adiposity levels. These findings provide support for daily physical activity recommendations to prevent excess fat mass accumulation in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Kinesiology and Community Health, and.
authors.forename: Naiman A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Raine
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Drollette
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Scudder
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Pontifex
authors.forename: Darla M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hillman
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016037:Single-Blind Method
keywords: abdominal adiposity; obesity; physical activity; physical fitness