Does a single bout of exercise influence subsequent physical activity and sedentary time in overweight boys?

To assess the influence of a single bout of exercise on subsequent physical activity and sedentary time among overweight boys.

A crossover study on 24 overweight boys (11-13years old) was conducted with three different experimental sessions: control, one bout of moderate exercise, and one bout of vigorous exercise. Physical activity was measured using triaxial accelerometers and time spent in light, moderate, vigorous, and sedentary activities was assessed during six days of follow-up. Differences in daily percentage of time spent in sedentary, light, moderate, and vigorous activities among experimental sessions were analyzed using linear mixed-effect models.

Time spent in sedentary behavior was greater after moderate and vigorous sessions compared to the control, with statistically significant differences in trajectories between moderate (p=0.04) and vigorous sessions (p=0.006) compared to controls. Similarly, the time spent in moderate physical activity was smaller after moderate (p=0.02) and vigorous sessions (p=0.02) compared to the control. No differences in sedentary (p=0.50) and moderate (p=0.97) activities were observed between moderate and vigorous sessions. The percentage of time spent in vigorous physical activity showed a greater reduction in vigorous condition compared to moderate and control (p<0.01) conditions, while time spent in light physical activities was not different between sessions.

Our results indicate a compensatory effect after a single bout of exercise due to decreases in moderate and vigorous physical activity and increases in sedentary time during the following six days.