Modification of cardiometabolic disease risk factors in overweight children: An exploratory study of different exercise doses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of two different exercise doses on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight children. Participants were randomly assigned to either moderate-intensity high-frequency exercise or vigorous-intensity low-frequency exercise for a total duration of 6 weeks. The moderate-intensity high-frequency group (n = 5) participated in 30 sessions, which were set at 40%-60% of heart rate reserve. The vigorous-intensity low-frequency group (n = 7) participated in 18 sessions, which were set at 60%-80% heart rate reserve. The results showed that fasting glucose level (-6.79%, p < 0.13) responded better to moderate-intensity high-frequency exercise whereas vigorous-intensity low-frequency exercise induced greater improvements in systolic blood pressure (-5.98%, p < 0.23) with a mean change of-6.4 mmHg. This study showed that two different exercise doses improved selected cardiometabolic variables in overweight children. Hence, this study provides exercise recommendations for achieving specific cardiometabolic health benefits in overweight children.