[Reduction of abdominal obesity and cardiometabolic health risks in obese adolescents in response to a short-term spa weight management program].

Background: Overweight and obesity is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular complications even in children and adolescents. Obesity in childhood represents a serious health problem, as an obese child frequently remains obese subject in adulthood. Obesity is also an important early risk factor for morbidity and mortality in adulthood. The aim of this study was to follow changes in selected anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risks in overweight and obese adolescents in response to a 4-week spa weight management program.

Methods And Results: The studied cohort included 342 adolescents (boys, n = 121, girls, n = 221); mean age (+/- SD) 14.9 +/- 1.4 years (range 13.0 to 17.9 years) with overweight or obesity, mean BMI (+/- SD) 30.1 +/- 4.4 kg/m2 who underwent a 4-week spa weight management program. Anthropometric (body height and weight, waist circumference, sagittal abdominal diameter, total body fat and intra-abdominal fat), clinical (blood pressure) and biochemical (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin) parameters were studied. All examinations were conducted before and after a 4-week weight management program. Statistical evaluation of the data was performed by ANOVA. The data are expressed as means +/- SD. In response to treatment all subjects demonstrated significant decreases in initial body weight (-6.3 +/- 2.3 %), percent of total fat (-2.7 +/- 2.5 %), percent of trunk fat (-2.5 +/- 1.5 %), degree of enlargement in visceral fat stores (-2.1 +/- 2.8), as well as reductions in waist circumference (-4.7 +/- 3.2 cm) and sagittal abdominal diameter (-1.0 +/- 1.8 cm). Positive changes in lipid profile and decrease in insulin resistance as measured by HOMA-IR were also recorded together with significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Conclusions: Short-term weight management program in adolescents led to significant reductions in body weight, trunk and visceral fat and cardiometabolic health risks.