Effect of mini-trampoline exercises on body composition, reaction time and motor proficiency in overweight and obese adolescents – a randomised controlled trial

Introduction Mini-trampoline exercises are low-impact and enjoyable, making them particularly suitable for adolescents, so they are unaware of the effort they are exerting. This study sought to assess the impact of mini-trampoline exercises on body composition, reaction and motor proficiency in overweight and obese adolescents with a sedentary lifestyle. Methods A randomised controlled trial was conducted on 36 overweight and obese adolescents aged 15–19 years with a sedentary lifestyle who scored 1 or 2 on the PAQ-A and had a BMI above the 85th percentile. Participants were divided randomly into two groups of equal size, labelled as groups A and B. Group A carried out mini-trampoline exercises three times weekly on non-consecutive days for four weeks; each session lasted for 40 min and included dietary counselling. Group B was given only dietary counselling. Outcome measures such as body composition were evaluated using BMI, reaction time using the Deary-Liewald reaction time task and motor proficiency using the BOT-2. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and post 4 weeks. Results Mini-trampoline exercises showed significant decreases in BMI (group A = 0.18 ± 2.08, group B = 0.04 ± 0.52) and reaction time (group A = 0.06 ± 0.03, group B = 0.01 ± 0.03), and improvement in motor proficiency (group A = 10.89 ± 4.57, group B = 2.89 ± 4.48), when comparing group A with group B. Conclusions Mini-trampoline exercises are an effective form of exercise for reducing body composition, reaction time and enhancing motor proficiency in overweight and obese adolescents. Therefore, mini-trampoline exercises can be inculcated as a recreational activity to promote physical fitness, reaction time and motor proficiency in adolescents.