The Role of Exercise and Diet in Weight Loss in Obese Children
Condition: Pediatric Obesity
MeSH terms: Pediatric Obesity; Weight Loss
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      A 3-arms randomized prospective intervention study to determine the roles of exercise and/or
      diet on weight loss and weight maintenance in obese preadolescent children 6-11 year-old with
      BMI> 95th percentile for age and gender. Children were randomly allocated into three groups.
      The first group underwent an exercise program, the second one underwent both an exercise
      program and a diet program and the third underwent a diet program alone.

      The total duration of the intervention is 12 weeks followed by a period of 9 months of
      follow-up. The effects of the different intervention on weight loss and weight
      maintenance,body composition, on hormonal components that regulate the caloric balance, on
      metabolic profile and cardiovascular risk factors and on psychological parameters were also
      determined.
    

Detailed description: 
      A 3-arms randomized prospective intervention study including 161 patients in order to
      determine the roles of exercise and/or diet on weight loss and weight maintenance in obese
      preadolescent children 6-11 year-old with BMI> 95th percentile for age and gender. The study
      recruited patients from 2 endocrine clinics.

      Objectives:

        1. The main aim was to determine the roles of exercise and/or diet on weight loss and
           weight maintenance in obese children.

        2. Secondary goals were:

             1. To determine the effects of exercise and/or diet on body composition.

             2. To determine the effects of exercise and/or diet on leptin and ghrelin that play a
                role in the regulation of energy balance.

             3. To determine the effects of exercise and/or diet on metabolic profile,
                cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammatory markers as fasting glucose,insulin
                and lipid profile,homocysteine ,adiponectin levels,CRP,and IL-6.

             4. To determine the role of exercise and/or diet on psychological parameters of obese
                children.

      Study Population

      Inclusion Criteria

        1. Obese preadolescent children 6-11 year-old with BMI> 95th percentile for age and gender.

        2. A signed informed consent will be taken from patients and their parents.

        3. Agreement to a follow-up of one year.

      Exclusion Criteria

        1. Cardiac problems (arrhythmia, Congestive heart disease)

        2. Uncontrolled hypertension

        3. Severe hepatic impairment (liver enzymes above 3 folds the upper normal values)

        4. Renal failure

        5. Genetic syndromes associated with obesity

        6. Presence of untreated hypothyroidism

        7. Participation in a clinical study during the last month methods Children fulfilling the
           inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly allocated into one of three groups.

      The first group underwent an exercise program, the second one underwent both an exercise
      program and a diet program and the third underwent a diet program alone.

      On the first visit of the study, at the end of the intervention (12 weeks) and at the end of
      the follow-up period (1 year) the following had been checked:

      Weight, Height, Body impedance, Waist and hip circumferences, Skin-folds, Blood pressure,
      Basal Metabolic Rate (evaluated by a metabolic monitor), and blood samples for: Blood count,
      Liver function, Renal function, Fasting Lipid, glucose and insulin,CRP, IL-6, TSH, free T4,
      Homocysteine, Adiponectin, Leptin and Ghrelin. Also at these point of time every patient
      underwent a psychosocial evaluation with life style questioners.

      Safety:There were no complications with these modes of treatment.
    

Intervention name(s): diet; exercise; diet and exercise
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: OBESITY; CHILDREN; METABOLIC PARAMETERS; DIET; EXERCISE