Abstract

Background: Underweight and obesity are important factors affecting the level of physical fitness. Aim: The objective of the work was the assessment of the change in body composition and physical fitness in early-school-age children participating in a 6-week therapeutic programme aimed at children with low body mass and those overweight.

Methods: Examined were 175 children of 7-10 years of age from Wroclaw. Their body composition (before and after the therapeutic programme) being marked with the 8-electrode body composition analyzer BC-418 MA Tanita. On the basis of BMI under and overweight children were selected to take part in a 6-week therapeutic programme (2 × 45 min/week).

Results: Underweight and overweight was found in 12% of the 175 children examined. Twenty children participated in the therapeutic programme (9 underweight, 11 overweight). No body mass change in overweight children was observed with a simultaneous decrease in body fat. Statistically significant changes in body composition were observed in underweight children.

Conclusion: The therapeutic programme lowered body mass (in underweight children only) and fat content along with an increase in muscle mass (FFM). It was observed that the 6-week programme needs to be prolonged to at least 10 weeks in order to obtain significant changes in body composition in the group of overweight children.

Keywords: Therapeutic programme for children; Fat free-fat index; Segmentary body composition; Underweight; Overweight