title: Team sports for overweight children: the Stanford Sports to Prevent Obesity Randomized Trial (SPORT). Football to tackle overweight in children. Short- and Long-Term Beneficial Effects of a Combined Dietary–Behavioral–Physical Activity Intervention for the Treatment of Childhood Obesity Freiburg Intervention Trial for Obese Children (FITOC): results of a clinical observation study Cardiovascular effects of 3 months of football training in overweight children examined by comprehensive echocardiography: a pilot study Effect of obesity on injury risk in high school football players. Effects of a 5-month football program on perceived psychological status and body composition of overweight boys.
abstract: OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility , acceptability , and efficacy of an after-school team sports program for reducing weight gain in low-income overweight children . DESIGN Six-month , 2-arm , parallel-group , pilot r and omized controlled trial . SETTING Low-income , racial/ethnic minority community . PARTICIPANTS Twenty-one children in grade s 4 and 5 with a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile . INTERVENTIONS The treatment intervention consisted of an after-school soccer program . The " active placebo " control intervention consisted of an after-school health education program . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Implementation , acceptability , body mass index , physical activity measured using accelerometers , reported television and other screen time , self-esteem , depressive symptoms , and weight concerns . RESULTS All 21 children completed the study . Compared with children receiving health education , children in the soccer group had significant decreases in body mass index z scores at 3 and 6 months and significant increases in total daily , moderate , and vigorous physical activity at 3 months . CONCLUSION An after-school team soccer program for overweight children can be a feasible , acceptable , and efficacious intervention for weight control The present study aim ed at analyzing the efficacy of a 6-month football training program compared with a st and ard exercise program on health and fitness parameters in overweight children . The study design was a 6-month , two-arm , parallel-group r and omized trial . Twenty-two overweight children were r and omly assigned to two groups ( age=10.8+/-1.2 years , height=1.56+/-0.08 m , weight= 65.1+/-11.4 kg ) . One group conducted a football training program , and the other group an established st and ard sports program . Both interventions took place three times per week from mid-May to mid-November . Before , after 3 months and after the training period , comprehensive testing was conducted : anthropometric characteristics , cycling ergometry , psychometric monitoring as well as several motor ability tests . Maximal performance capacity increased and submaximal heart rate during cycling ergometry decreased significantly . Several motor skills as well as self-esteem also improved considerably . Body composition and other psychometric variables remained nearly unchanged . No relevant differences were observed between both exercise programs . It can be concluded that a 6-month football training is as efficacious in improving the physical capacity , health-related fitness parameters and self-esteem of overweight children as a st and ard exercise program . These results provide further evidence that playing football has significant health effects Background . Obesity has become the most common pediatric chronic disease in the modern era . Early prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent obesity is m and ated . Surprisingly , however , only a minor fraction of obese children participate in weight reduction interventions , and the longer-term effects of these weight-reduction interventions among children have not been eluci date d. Objective . To examine prospect ively the short- and long-term effects of a 3-month , combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention on anthropometric measures , body composition , dietary and leisure-time habits , fitness , and lipid profiles among obese children . Methods . In this r and omized prospect i ve study , 24 obese subjects completed the 3-month intervention and were compared with 22 obese , age- and gender-matched , control subjects . Results . At 3 months , there were significant differences in changes in body weight ( −2.8 ± 2.3 kg vs 1.2 ± 2.2 kg ) , BMI ( −1.7 ± 1.1 kg/m2 vs −0.2 ± 1.0 kg/m2 ) , body fat percentage ( from skinfold tests ; −3.3 ± 2.6 % vs 1.4 ± 4.7 % ) , serum total cholesterol level ( −24.6 ± 15.1 mg/dL vs 0.8 ± 18.7 mg/dL ) , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level ( −23.3 ± 15.2 mg/dL vs −3.7 ± 17.3 mg/dL ) , and fitness ( 215 ± 107 seconds vs 50 ± 116 seconds ) in the intervention group versus the control group . After a 1-year follow-up period , there were significant differences between the intervention group ( n = 20 ) and the control group ( n = 20 ) in body weight ( 0.6 ± 6.0 kg vs 5.3 ± 2.7 kg ) , BMI ( −1.7 ± 2.3 kg/m2 vs 0.6 ± 0.9 kg/m2 ) , and body fat percentage . There was a significant increase in leisure-time physical activity among the intervention participants , compared with a decrease among the control subjects . Conclusions . Our data demonstrate the short- and longer-term beneficial effects of a combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention among obese children . These results highlight the importance of multidisciplinary programs for the treatment of childhood obesity and emphasize their encouraging long-term effects BACKGROUND : The Freiburg Intervention Trial for Obese Children ( FITOC ) is an interdisciplinary , outpatient program for obese children consisting of regular physical exercise and comprehensive dietary and behavioral education . Parental involvement is required . The study is design ed as a longitudinal , nonr and omized clinical observation study . An 8-month intensive phase preceded a follow-up phase of 1 y or longer . METHODS : Data were collected from 31 groups comprising 496 children ( 267 girls , 229 boys ) , with an average age of 10.5 y.  Body height and weight , fasting total-cholesterol ( CH ) , low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( LDL-C ) , high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( HDL-C ) and physical performance were measured initially and after 8.5 months . A group of n=35 obese children ( 16 girls , 19 boys ) who did not take part in this intervention program  served as controls . RESULTS : After the intensive intervention phase , body mass index ( BMI , kg/m2 ) as well as BMI deviation scores ( BMI -SDS ) decreased in both sexes ( P<0.001 ) . In the controls , BMI increased ( P<0.001 ) and BMI -SDS remained constant . Whereas CH was only significantly lower ( P<0.01 ) in boys after 8.5 months , LDL-C decreased significantly in both sexes . HDL-C tended to increase in both sexes ( not significant ) . The controls showed no significant changes in CH , LDL-C and HDL-C. The fitness levels ( W/kg body weight ) improved in the intervention group ( P<0.001 ) , but not in the control group . CONCLUSIONS : The results indicate that obese children can be successfully treated in such an intervention program . BMI -SDS and risk factors decreased and physical performance improved . To maintain therapeutical success , we highly recommended that these children enroll in community-based exercise programs in order to help them maintain a more active lifestyle after the follow-up phase 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 Little is known about the relative injury risk of obese adolescent football players . Two high school varsity teams were followed prospect ively for injuries after measurement of height , weight , and triceps and subscapular skinfolds during the preseason . Certified athletic trainers who were present at all practice s recorded all injuries that required a player to miss at least one practice or game . In all , 98 players were enrolled in the study . Twenty-eight injuries were documented in 24 different players . There were 27 ( 28 % ) players with the sum of skinfolds > or = 95th percentile for age ; eight of them had nine injuries . The overall prevalence of injuries per player per season was 0.28 for players < or = 95th percentile and 0.33 for players above this percentile ( not significant ) . High body mass ( body weight > 90 kg ) was associated with a 2.5 times higher relative risk of injury . While this study did not find evidence for an overall higher injury rate in overly fat high school football players , an alarmingly high incidence of obesity was found in this athletic population The effects of a 5-month intervention of football instruction and practice on the perceived psychological status and body composition of overweight boys were examined . Twelve boys ( 8 - 12 years ; body mass index ≥ 85th percentile ) participated in a structured 5-month football program , consisting of four weekly 60 - 90 min sessions with mean heart rate > 80%HRmax [ football group ( FG ) ] . A control group ( CG ) included eight boys of equivalent age from an obesity clinic located in the same area as the school . Both groups participated in two sessions of 45 - 90-min physical education per week at school . Indicators of perceived psychological status included body image , self-esteem , attraction to participation in physical activity , and perceived physical competence measured with st and ardized question naires . Body composition was evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry . From baseline through 5 months , FG improved ( P < 0.05 ) in all indicators of psychological status ( % Δ = + 11.7 to + 29.2 % ) compared with CG ( % Δ = -32.1 to + 0.5 % ) . Changes in percentage body fat and lean body mass , however , did not differ between FG and CG . The findings suggest that a 5-month football intervention program was effective in improving the psychological status of overweight boys but did not significantly alter body composition
target: 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
background: 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 .