THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS BASIC GYMNASTICS EXERCISES ON BODY COMPOSITION AND LIPID PROFILES IN OBESE CHILDREN

Abstract

Obesity is a major health concern in the world because it is associated with many diseases. It has been shown that basic gymnastics exercises effectively prevent and treat this problem. Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of 12 weeks of basic gymnastics exercises on body composition and lipid profile in obese girls. In this quasi-experimental study, with a design pre-test-post-test and a control group, 30 obese girls with Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile and the average age of 9.4 years, were selected purposefully and were divided into 2 groups (Basic gymnastics training, and control) randomly. The training protocol was implemented for 12 weeks, three times a week, and 45 minutes for each session incrementally. Body composition and lipid profile indices were measured in two stages: pre-test and post-test. In order to analyze the data, multivariate covariance tests were used. The results of the study showed that the exercise intervention significantly reduced the fat percentage and BMI index in obese children (p≤0.001). In addition, a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglyceride, and Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) and a significant increase in High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) were observed (p≤0.002). These findings indicate the beneficial effects of basic gymnastics training on body composition and lipid profile in obese children. Therefore, the use of basic gymnastics training is recommended to improve these factors.