Physical activity for the management of obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years

José F. Meneses-Echávez; Nathaly Chavez Guapo; Andrés F. Loaiza-Betancur; Lisette Ethel Iglesias González; Camila Micaela Escobar Liquitay; Julia Bidonde

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd015987

August 13, 2026Cochrane libraryOpen Access

Physical activity for the management of obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Key Points

To evaluate the benefits and harms of physical activity interventions lasting at least 12 weeks for managing obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years.
Systematic search across CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and trial registries from 2012 to December 2025 without language restrictions.
Included 30 randomized controlled trials (N=1508) across 15 countries evaluating physical activity versus no-intervention or active controls in adolescents aged 10 to 17 years.
Assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane RoB 1 tool and synthesized outcomes using random-effects meta-analyses or synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM), graded by GRADE.
Physical activity versus no intervention improved mental well-being measures in one trial (N=56), including self-efficacy (MD 0.58, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.95) and self-esteem (MD 0.47, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.76), but self-perception showed wide uncertainty (MD 0.22, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.54).
Evidence for physical activity levels, blood pressure, adiposity, insulin, fasting glucose, and lipid biomarkers was rated low or very low certainty, and all 30 included studies were at high risk of bias.
Comparative trials assessing distinct exercise modalities (such as high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training) provided very low-certainty evidence, leaving relative effectiveness uncertain.

No abstract yet

We only have this paper's title and publication details.

Read it at the source

Ask about this paper

Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.

Implication

Systematic review finds physical activity may improve mental well-being and health outcomes in adolescents with obesity, highlighting the need for higher-certainty evidence.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Cite This Study

Meneses-Echávez et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a81794cf2fb91fc834ac76a https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd015987

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Physical activity for the management of obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years

Key Points

No abstract yet

Ask about this paper

Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

Physical activity for the management of obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years

Key Points

No abstract yet

Ask about this paper

Implication

Discussion

Cite This Study

Keep reading

Keep reading