Conclusion
CRF, overweight or obesity
SECONDARY, ADIPOSITY, CRF
In this secondary analysis of the ActiveBrains RCT, the current aerobic plus resistance exercise program improved cardiometabolic health in children with overweight or obesity. The cardiometabolic risk score was reduced by approximately 0.38 SDs, which was mainly due to the improvements observed in blood lipid levels, total and visceral adiposity, and CRF. However, our intervention did not affect any of the mental health studied. These findings demonstrate the potential of exercise programs to promote cardiometabolic health in children with overweight and obesity, which may have implications for public health. However, further studies are needed to examine a larger-scale and longer public health intervention combining exercise programs with the promotion of other important health behaviors (eg, healthy diet). The null effect on mental health outcomes needs to be further investigated, including, among other things, whether the instruments are sensitive enough to detect changes and whether there is a ceiling effect in young children who might be mentally healthy overall.