BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES DURING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT PROGRAMME IN OVERWEIGHT ADOLESCENTS: EVASYON STUDY

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Obesity Research
• Body Composition Analysis

Background:

• Weight-loss interventions aim to reduce fat mass while preserving fat-free mass.
• Overweight and obese adolescents require effective interventions to manage body composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary obesity intervention program on body composition changes in overweight adolescents.
• To compare body composition assessments using anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and air-displacement plethysmography (ADP).

Main Methods:

• A 13-month multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention was conducted.
• Participants included 156 overweight or obese Spanish adolescents (ages 13-16).
• Body composition was measured at baseline, 2 months, and 13 months using anthropometry, DXA, and ADP.

Main Results:

• Significant decreases in fat mass index were observed in males across all methods after 2 and 13 months.
• Females showed short- and long-term maintenance of fat mass index and fat-free mass index via DXA.
• The intervention positively impacted waist-to-height ratio.

Conclusions:

• A multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention favorably impacts body fat mass and fat-free mass index in overweight and obese adolescents.
• The positive effects on body composition were sustained over a 13-month period.
• Multiple body composition methods confirmed the intervention's efficacy.