Publication

Abstract : Background: Obesity is a significant health problem, with increasing involvement of young population worldwide. The risk of being overweight and obese in adolescence begins with what a child is fed on during childhood and the physical activity they do. Aim & Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of structured diet and physical activity interventions on weight reduction and lipid profile in obese school-aged adolescents. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 children and adolescents were recruited for a study conducted at their school between March 2022 and October 2024. All 120 participants were classified as either overweight or obese. Among them, 70 overweight children and adolescents (29 males and 41 females) with a mean age of 12.6 ± 3.7 years (ranging from 6 to 18 years) enrolled in the first stage of the program. Out of these, 55 completed the first stage and were assessed after four weeks. Subsequently, 30 participants continued to the second stage and were evaluated after 12 weeks, while 20 participants completed the third stage, with an assessment conducted at 20 weeks. Results: The baseline characteristics of the 70 participating children and adolescents 57 (84%) were classified as obese, 13 (16%) as overweight, and 22 had a BMI z-score above 3 standard deviations, indicating severe obesity. 48% of participants had elevated triglyceride (TG) levels. The mean percentiles for flexibility and muscle strength among all participants were 51.0 ± 30.5 and 49.6 ± 33.1, respectively, indicating values close to the median of the normative range. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that Structured Diet and Physical Activity Interventions programmes can be successful in promoting healthy behaviour increasing habitual physical activity and diet. Elevated PA at school has a positive effect on the BMI and body composition of children who are overweight or obese