Exercise Alone Cant Lower BMI in Children

It may be that one cannot shed their extra pounds merely through exercise. Research published in the British Medical Journal highlights that increased physical activity alone does not help in reducing obesity among preschoolers. Body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measure based on height and weight of a person to categorize an individual as obese, overweight, normal or underweight. Those whose BMI is between 25 to 30 are deemed to be overweight, and those whose BMI is greater than 30 are classified as obese. The study included more than 500 preschoolers whose average age was 4 years to evaluate if exercise could alter BMI. The investigators randomized some of the children to an active play program, which consisted of three 30- minute sessions a week for 24 weeks. In addition, parents were also encouraged to increase their children's physical activity at home. BMI readings for each child were taken at the start of the study, then again after six months and then finally after one year. They were also assessed for motor skills, habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior. The researchers found that the increased level of exercise did not have significant effect on the BMI when compared with the control groups at 6-months and at 12 months. Similarly, there was no significant effect in habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior, when compared to controls. However, increased levels of physical activity improved the children?s motor skills significantly compared to the controls at the six month follow-up. The researchers suggested that this increase in physical activity may foster an improvement in motor abilities thereby increasing the confidence of children to carry out physical activity. Overall the study concludes that successful interventions to prevent obesity in early childhood may require changes not just in physical activity but also in other behaviours including diet.