Evaluation of maximum oxygen consumption in obese adolescents before and after a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the effects of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention including physical exercise on the maximum oxygen consumption values and other health-related aspects of physical fitness and body composition in adolescents group with overweight or obesity. METHODS: Sixteen subjects participate in a multidisciplinary path based on clinical lifestyle intervention tailored for adolescents. Anthropometric, body composition and health-related physical exercise measures (as maximum oxygen consumption through two type of test) are evaluated before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Several clinical variables showed statistically significant changes in response to the intervention. BMI, Fat Mass percentage, Waist Circumference, muscular strength, flexibility and maximum oxygen consumption values improve after 3 months of treatment. In addiction WHTR index related to cardiovascular risk decrease. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm that a structured lifestyle intervention addressed to adolescent allows to obtain positive results in anthropometric measure, body composition and in the health-related physical activity measure. In particular the exercise program proposed could be replicated out of clinical setting to determine the value of maximum oxygen consumption in young subjects, through test which can be carried in the field context even when you are not in possession of complex and expensive equipment.