Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2008; 29(12): 941-947
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1038601
Physiology & Biochemistry

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Effect of a 9-Week Physical Activity Programme on Bone and Body Composition of Children Aged 10 – 11 Years: An Exploratory Trial

N. McWhannell1 , J. L. Henaghan1 , L. Foweather1 , D. A. Doran1 , A. M. Batterham2 , T. Reilly1 , G. Stratton1
  • 1Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • 2School of Health, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
Further Information

Publication History

accepted after revision March 31, 2008

Publication Date:
29 May 2008 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

A high-impact exercise and a lifestyle intervention were implemented over a 9-week period; changes in bone and body composition were compared to controls. Sixty-one children volunteered from three randomly selected schools. Each school was randomly assigned to either a structured exercise (STEX) intervention, a lifestyle intervention (PASS) or control (CONT). Bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) of total body, femoral neck and lumbar spine were measured as well as fat and lean mass at baseline and post-intervention by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The STEX intervention resulted in an additional mean increase in total body BMC of 63.3 g (p = 0.019) and an additional increase of 0.011 g · cm−2 (p = 0.018) for BMD over increases observed by controls. Bone mineral increases observed for the PASS intervention were not significant compared to the control group (p > 0.05). Neither intervention produced significant increases in bone mineral at femoral neck or lumbar spine sites (p > 0.05) compared with the controls. No significant changes were found in fat mass index (p > 0.05), lean mass index (p > 0.05) or percent body fat (p = 0.09) in any groups. Structured impact exercise promoted significant and clinically relevant increases in bone measures, without significant changes to body composition. A larger, definitive randomised trial is needed to confirm the present results.

Key words

dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry - intervention - exercise

References

  • 1 Abbott R A, Davies P S. Habitual physical activity and physical activity intensity: their relation to body composition in 5.0 – 10.5 year old children.  Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;  58 285-291
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Bandura A. Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice Hall 1986
    Google Scholar
  • 3 Barbeau P, Gutin B, Litaker M, Owens S, Riggs S, Okuyama T. Correlates of individual differences in body composition changes resulting from physical training in obese children.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;  69 705-711
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Bass S, Pearce G, Bradney M, Hendrich E, Delmas P D, Harding A, Seeman E. Exercise before puberty may confer residual benefits in bone density in adulthood: studies in active prepubertal and retired female gymnasts.  J Bone Min Res. 1998;  13 500-507
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Batterham A M, Hopkins W G. Making meaningful inferences about magnitudes.  Int J Sports Phys Perf. 2006;  1 50-57
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Chinn S, Rona R J. Letter to the editor re: international definitions of overweight and obesity for children: a lasting solution?.  Ann Hum Biol. 2004;  31 695-696
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd edn. Hillsdale, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum 1988
    Google Scholar
  • 8 Denker M, Thorsson O, Karlsson M K, Linden C, Eiberg S, Wollmer P, Andersen L B. Daily physical activity related to body fat in children aged 8 – 11 years.  J Pediatr. 2006;  149 38-42
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Department of Health .Choosing Activity: A Physical Activity Action Plan. London; DoH 2005
    Google Scholar
  • 10 Frison L, Pocock S J. Repeated measures in clinical trials: analysis using mean summary statistics and its implications for design.  Stat Med. 1992;  11 1685-1704
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Fuchs R K, Bauer J J, Snow C M. Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children: a randomized controlled trial.  J Bone Miner Res. 2001;  16 148-156
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Greene D A, Naughton G A, Briody J N, Kemp A, Woodhead H, Corrigan L. Bone strength index in adolescent girls: does physical activity make a difference?.  Br J Sports Med. 2005;  39 622-627
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Gutin B, Owens S. Role of exercise intervention in improving body fat distribution and risk profile in children.  Am J Hum Biol. 1999;  11 237-247
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Gutin B, Barbeau P, Owens S, Lemmon C R, Bauman M, Allison J, Kang H, Litaker M S. Effects of exercise intensity on cardiovascular fitness, total body composition, and visceral adiposity of obese adolescents.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;  75 818-826
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Heinonen A, Sievanen H, Kannus P, Oja P, Pasanen M, Vuori I. High-impact exercise and bones of growing girls: a 9-month controlled trial.  Osteoporos Int. 2001;  11 1010-1017
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Hepples J, Stratton G. The physical activity signposting scheme (PASS): The A-CLASS project.  Educ Health. 2007;  25 63-67
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Janz K F, Gilmore J M, Burns T L, Levy S M, Torner J C, Willing M C, Marshall T A. Physical activity augments bone mineral accrual in young children: the Iowa Bone Development Study.  J Pediatr. 2006;  148 793-799
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Liu-Ambrose T, Khan K M, McKay H A. The role of exercise in preventing and treating osteoporosis.  Int Sports Med J. 2001;  2 1-13
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 MacKelvie K J, Khan K M, Petit M A, Janssen P A, McKay H A. A school-based exercise intervention elicits substantial bone health benefits: a 2-year randomized controlled trial in girls.  Pediatrics. 2003;  112 e447
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 MacKelvie K J, McKay H A, Khan K M, Crocker P R. A school-based exercise intervention augments bone mineral accrual in early pubertal girls.  J Pediatr. 2001;  139 501-508
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Marfell-Jones M, Olds T, Stewart A, Carter L. International Standards for Anthropometric Assessment. Potchefstroom, South Africa; ISAK 2006
    Google Scholar
  • 22 McKay H A, Khan K M. Bone mineral acquisition during childhood and adolescence: physical exercise as a preventative measure. Henderson JE, Goltzman D The Osteoporosis Primer. Cambridge; University Press 2000: 170-185
    Google Scholar
  • 23 McKay H A, MacLean L, Petit M, MacKelvie K, O'Brien K, Janssen P, Beck T, Khan K M. “Bounce at the bell”: a novel program of short bouts of exercise improves proximal femur bone mass in early pubertal children.  Br J Sports Med. 2005;  39 521-526
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 McMurray R G, Harrell J S, Bangdiwala S I, Bradley C B, Deng S, Lavine A. A school-based intervention can reduce body fat and blood pressure in young adolescents.  J Adolescence Health. 2002;  31 125-132
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Medical Research Council .A framework for development and evaluation of RCT's for complex interventions to improve health. London; MRC 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 26 Mirwald R L, Baxter-Jones A DG, Bailey D A, Beunen G P. An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;  34 689-694
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Murray D M, Varnell S P, Blitstein J L. Design and analysis of group-randomised trials: A review of recent methodological developments.  Am J Pub Health. 2004;  94 423-432
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Nicklas T A, von Duvillard S P, Berenson G S. Tracking of serum lipids and lipoproteins from childhood to dyslipidemia in adulthood. The Bogalusa Heart Study.  Int J Sports Med. 2002;  23 39-43
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Sallis J F, Owen N. Ecological models. Glanz K, Lewis FM, Rimmer BK Health Behaviour and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. San Francisco; Jossey-Bass 1999: 403-424
    Google Scholar
  • 30 Scarpella T A, Davenport M, Morganti C M, Kanaley J A, Johnson L M. Dose related association of impact activity and bone mineral density in pre-pubertal girls.  Calcif Tissue Int. 2003;  72 24-31
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Tanner J M. Foetus into Man: Physical Growth from Conception to Maturity. UK; Castlemead 1978: 214-215
    Google Scholar
  • 32 Vickers A J, Altman D G. Statistics notes: analysing controlled trials with baseline and follow up measurements.  BMJ. 2001;  232 1123-1124
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Vincente Rodrigues G, Ara I, Perez-Gomez J, Dorado C, Calbet J A. Muscular development and physical activity as major determinants of femoral bone mass acquisition during growth.  Br J Sports Med. 2005;  39 611-616
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Wallace J A, George K, Reilly T. Validity of dual-energy X-ray absortiometry for body composition analysis. Bust PD Contemporary Ergonomics. London; Taylor and Francis 2006: 513-515
    Google Scholar
  • 35 Wang M C, Bachrach L K, Van Loan M, Hudes M, Flegal K M, Crawford P B. The relative contributions of lean tissue mass and fat mass to bone density in young women.  Bone. 2005;  37 474-481
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar

Nicola McWhannell

Liverpool John Moores University
Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences

Henry Cotton Building, 15 – 21 Webster St.

L3 2ET Liverpool

United Kingdom

Phone: + 44 15 12 31 44 36

Fax: + 44 15 12 31 43 53

Email: N.J.McWhannell@2003.ljmu.ac.uk

      >