Integrating interval jump rope exercise into a school setting improve body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and glycolipid metabolism parameters in adolescents with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is closely linked to the development of cardiovascular risk factors and other impairments. Jump rope exercise (JRE) is a simple and efficient mode of exercise that can be easily implemented in schools, effectively enhancing the physical fitness of adolescents. However, studies examining the effectiveness of JRE to improve the health of adolescents with obesity are scarce. This study examined the effects of a 12-week interval JRE integrating into physical education (PE) class on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and glycolipid metabolism parameters in adolescents with overweight/obesity. METHODS: In this randomized control trial (RCT), adolescents aged 10-13 years with overweight/obesity (age = 12.4 ± 0.6 years, BMI = 24.7 ± 1.1 kg/m2) were recruited. Participants were randomized to JRE with short work time (JRE-1; n = 40), JRE with long work time (JRE-2; n = 40), or no-training control (CON; n = 40). JRE groups were performed three weekly exercise sessions over 12 weeks. All participants had indices of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and glycolipid metabolism parameters measured at pre- and post-intervention. Repeated measures of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to evaluate interaction, between-group, and within-group differences, respectively. RESULTS: Following the school-based training program, significant improvements in body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP), and CRF in both exercise training groups (P < 0.05). Also, the fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINs), and the triglycerides (TG) improved significantly (P < 0.05). The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased only in JRE-2 group (- 2.20 mmol/L, P < 0.05). BM and BMI decreased more in the JRE-2 group when compared with the JRE-1 group (MD: -1.92 kg vs. -0.72 kg/m2, P < 0.01). No significant group differences were observed on cardiorespiratory fitness and glycolipid metabolism variables between intervention groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Integrating interval jump rope exercise into PE classes has effectively improved health-related outcomes for adolescents with excessive body weight. Further research is needed to explore factors influencing the effectiveness of these interventions, the scalability of exercise programs for treating childhood obesity, and to inform health policy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered on the Chinese clinical trial registry (ChiCTR2100048737) on July 15, 2021. Website http://www.chictr.org.cn .