Group sports improve body composition , cardiorespiratory endurance , and h and grip strength of overweight/obese youth .
Flexibility and neuromotor fitness do not seem to change following group sports
Group sports interventions have been developed to improve health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth .
However , its benefits are not systematic ally documented .
This study synthesizes the evidence about the effects of group sports on health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth .
Cardiovascular effects of 3 months of football training in overweight children examined by comprehensive echocardiography: a pilot study
Abstract We examined effects of a 3-month football training programme in overweight children using comprehensive echocardiography and peripheral arterial tonometry . Twenty preadolescent overweight children ( 17 boys , 3 girls aged 8–12 yrs ; body mass index [ BMI ] ≥ 85th percentile ) participated in a structured 3-month football training programme , consisting of 4 weekly 60–90 min sessions with mean heart rate ( HR ) > 80 % of HRmax ( football group , FG ) . A parallel control group ( CG ) included 11 children ( 7 boys , 4 girls ) of equivalent age from an obesity clinic . After 3 months , systolic blood pressure was unchanged in FG , but had increased in CG ( 112 [ s 6 ] vs. 122 [ 10 ] mmHg , P = 0.02 ) . FG demonstrated increased left ventricular ( LV ) posterior wall diameter ( 0.60 [ 0.07 ] vs. 0.68 [ 0.10 ] cm , P < 0.001 ) and an improved right ventricular systolic function determined by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion ( TAPSE , 2.01 [ 0.29 ] vs. 2.27 [ 0.28 ] cm , P = 0.003 ) . Measures of LV systolic function showed only discrete alterations and two-dimensional ( 2D ) global strain was not changed . After 3 months , global isovolumetric relaxation time ( IVRTglobal ) had increased in FG ( 64.0 [ 7.5 ] vs. 73.9 [ 9.4 ] ms , P < 0.001 ) while other examined LV diastolic function variables were not altered . No echocardiographic changes were observed in CG . Between-group differences in pre-post delta values were observed for systolic blood pressure , TAPSE , and IVRTglobal ( P = 0.02–0.03 ) . We conclude that short-term football training may have positive structural and functional effects on the cardiovascular system in overweight preadolescent children
Group sports improve body composition , cardiorespiratory endurance , and h and grip strength of overweight/obese youth .
Flexibility and neuromotor fitness do not seem to change following group sports
Group sports interventions have been developed to improve health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth .
However , its benefits are not systematic ally documented .
This study synthesizes the evidence about the effects of group sports on health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth .