Efeito da atividade física programada sobre a composição corporal em escolares adolescentes

Abstract

Objective:Toverify the influence ofprogrammedphysical activity onbodycompositionamongadolescent 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 and90 female) and197 controls (108 male and89 female). Thiswas 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 compositionwas assessed by anthropometric measurements, bodymass 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 calfperimetersand in lean bodymass. 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. Conclusion: Programmed physical activity resulted in improvement or maintenance of body composition parameters and in reduction of overweight and obesity in the intervention group. J