Role of fitness as moderator of improvements in health-related quality of life

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the effects on the quality of life (QoL) of an exercise program in obese children and detect what physical fitness components are responsible for the enhancement of the QoL Method: One hundred twenty-one obese and overweight children were part of an exercise group (9.4 ± 2.1 years old) that participated in a 6-months exercise program that combined sports practice and social tasks. Forty-nine obese and overweight children were part of the control group (8.9 ± 1.8 years old). Anthropometrics characteristics, physical fitness [handgrip, core strength, standing long jump (SLJ), agility, range of motion (ROM), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)], and QoL were measured. Analysis of covariance was performed to analyse the improvement. Moderation analysis with bootstrapping was also used to examine what improvements in physical fitness moderators of the QoL change. Additionally, was executed the Johnson-Neyman procedure to determine the threshold from which the improvement of physical fitness moderates the effects on QoL. Results: A significant improvement was found in VAS after the 6-months exercise program. The physical fitness moderators of the QoL changes were Core (B = 0.34, CI = 0.05 to 0.63, ES = 0.01), SLJ (B = 0.83, CI = -0.02 to 0.03, ES = 0.8), and agility (B = 3.78, CI = 1.06 to 6.50, ES = 0.0). Conclusion: Physical exercise programs aimed at young people who are overweight and obese should focus on the development of muscle strength and agility to enhance their QoL