Effects of exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 72 randomized controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Evaluate the impact of exercise on the cardiorespiratory fitness of the children and adolescents with overweight or obesity, and explore possible influencing factors.

Study design

This meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between January 2005 and January 2025. Data were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang, and other databases. The included studies evaluated the effects of exercise on six cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) indicators.

Results

A total of 72 eligible RCTs with 5,320 children and adolescents with overweight or obesity were included (The mean age and BMI of participants were 12.93 ± 2.47

SUBMITTER: Men J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12607143 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature