Physical exercise programs effects on health-oriented life quality and physical fitness on overweight and obese college students: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the effects of physical exercise programs on quality of life and health-oriented physical condition in overweight or obese university students between 18 and 30 years of age. Methodology: A systematic review of the last 10 years was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines, in PUBMED, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. Eligibility criteria were established based on the PICOS search strategy: (P) overweight and obese undergraduate university students between 18 and 30 years of age, (I) studies that carried out physical exercise component interventions (C) incorporating pre- and post-test in the intervention and control groups (O) to evaluate the effect of physical exercise programs on quality of life and/or health-oriented fitness (S) randomized controlled studies, published in open and restricted access from 2012 to 2022, in the English language. Results: A total of 6,835 papers were identified from which four studies were finally selected. It was found that all the interventions were carried out in a period of between 8 to 12 weeks, obtaining positive results in the health-oriented physical condition variable. Of the interventions, three out of four improved aerobic capacity, three out of four improved body composition and only one analyzed the variables strength, power, flexibility and speed. Conclusion: No longitudinal studies were found that allow us to follow up the quality of life of the university population with overweight or obesity during an intervention based on a physical exercise program.