Effects of a 12-Week Multicomponent Exercise Program on Dyslipidemia and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Children with Obesity

Introduction: Childhood obesity is frequently associated with dyslipidemia and reduced health-related physical fitness (HRPF), increasing cardiometabolic risk early in life. Multicomponent exercise programs may offer a practical and developmentally appropriate strategy to improve lipid profile and HRPF in children.
Objective: To investigate the effects of a 12-week supervised multicomponent exercise program on serum lipids and HRPF in children with obesity.
Method: In this two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial, children with obesity (CDC BMI-for-age ≥95th percentile) were randomized to an Exercise Group (12-week multicomponent program; 3 sessions/week; moderate-to-vigorous intensity monitored by heart rate and perceived exertion) or a Control Group (usual activities). Fasting serum lipids (TC, triglycerides, LDL-C, HDL-C) and HRPF (20-m shuttle run/PACER, push-ups, curl-ups, sit-and-reach) were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA.
Results: Compared with controls, the Exercise Group showed significant improvements in lipid profile, including reductions in LDL-C (p=0.001), triglycerides (p=0.008), and TC (p=0.032), along with an increase in HDL-C (p=0.004). HRPF improved significantly in the Exercise Group versus Control, including PACER performance (p<0.001), push-ups (p<0.001), curl-ups (p<0.001), and sit-and-reach flexibility (p=0.002).
Conclusions: These findings support multicomponent exercise as an effective non-pharmacological approach to reduce cardiometabolic risk and enhance HRPF in this population.