Effect of a Four Weeks Aerobic Training Intervention on Body Fat Percentage and Physical Fitness Indices Among 5 to 6-Year-Old Obese, Overweight and Normal Weight Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study Publisher



Rad SA¹ ; Mokhtar N² ; Kiwanuka F³ Show Affiliations
Source: International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science Published:2019

Abstract

Background: Optimal physical activity and functional fitness is fundamental in children. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a four-weeks aerobic training intervention on body fat percentage and selected physical fitness indices among five to six-years-old obese, overweight and normal weight children. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study design was used; a statistical sample of 20 preschool girls participated in the study. One group (n=10) comprised of normal weight children and another for overweight and obese children (n=10). SPSS Version 21 was used for data analysis, a 95% level of significance was considered. Paired independent t-test and Analysis of Covariance were used to test the impact of the intervention within and between groups. Results: The intervention had a significant influence on body weight (p=0.023), BMI (p=0.025), flexibility (p=0.005) and muscular endurance (p=0.001) among children with obesity or overweight. It also showed a significant influence on balance (p=0.03) among normal weight children. However, it showed no significant difference between groups with exception of balance (p=0.002). Conclusions: The four-weeks training intervention had a significant difference on some physical fitness indices among children aged 5 to 6 years with obesity or overweight. Programmed aerobic training interventions can be used to achieve optimal body fat percentage and improve on some physical fitness indices among children. Copyright (c) the author(s). This is an open access article under CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)