Plain language summary
Obesity is becoming a growing concern in adolescents with the growing use of technology and subsequent reduction in physical activity. Exercise and lifestyle modifications may help combat obesity in adolescents, however lack of motivation may be hindering treatments. This randomised control trial of 37 overweight and obese adolescents aimed to assess the effect of methods aimed at motivating individuals to exercise on daily physical activity over 3 months. The results showed that exercise recommendations focusing on motivation did not affect the amount of daily exercise or the amount of exertion an individual could sustain. It was concluded that motivational based recommendations did not modify exercise behaviour in overweight and obese adolescents. This could be due to the short study time and the relatively infrequent meetings when motivational exercise recommendations were delivered. This study could be used by health professionals to understand the increasing incidence of obesity in adolescents and the need for lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise.
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the effect of an interdisciplinary intervention with a motivational approach on exercise capacity and usual physical activity levels in overweight and obese adolescents. Methods This is a randomized, controlled clinical trial with single blinding of subjects. Adolescents aged 15 to 18 years with overweight and obesity (body mass index ≥ 85 percentile) were included. The adolescents were randomized into two groups: interdisciplinary intervention or control - traditional approach aiming at lifestyle modifications. The initial evaluations were carried out, including the cardiopulmonary exercise test and the physical activity level measurement by using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and a pedometer. The evaluations were performed in two moments: time zero (time of inclusion in the study) and after 3 months (end of intervention). There were 12 sessions with weekly meetings. Results A total of 37 participants were included, 19 in the Intervention Group. There were no significant differences in the baseline demographic, anthropometric and physical activity characteristics between groups, with mean age of 17.3±1.0 years in the Control Group, and 16.8±0.9 years in the Intervention Group (p=0.14). The motivational intervention did not cause significant differences (p>0.05) in the comparison of the variables of exercise capacity and usual physical activity (questionnaire and pedometer) between groups. Conclusion The intervention with a motivational approach did not alter exercise capacity and levels of usual physical activity in overweight and obese adolescents. Clinical Trial Registry: NCT02455973 and REBEC RBR-234nb5.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
:
3
Allocation concealment
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No
