Acceptability, accessibility and effectiveness of a form of physical exercise session adapted to obese adolescents attending school in Brazzaville: Comparative study

The policy for the management of obese children in Congo is almost non-existent. The present study aims at determining the level of acceptability, accessibility and effectiveness of the form of physical exercise session best suited for the management of obese school children in Brazzaville. Methods: The present study was an intervention study, carried out with 23 overweight students from eight secondary schools in the city of Brazzaville. The participants were subjected to two physical exercise sessions (aerobics alone and then, aerobics and muscle strengthening) during one week. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The form of the session was considered acceptable if its assessment based on 6 items scored at least 13.6 out of a total of 17 points; accessible if its assessment based on 5 items scored 14.4 out of a total of 18 points. It was considered effective if it met 4 of the physiological criteria. The level of acceptability of the aerobics and muscle strengthening session was significantly higher than that of the aerobics session alone (14/23 or 61% versus 4/19 or 17%; P = 0.03). PCA identified two components (percent weight loss %PP and energy expenditure DE) in axis 1 that had a satisfactory loading factor of 0.70. The results of this study put the acceptability, accessibility and effectiveness of an intervention program based on aerobics and strength training. This program could be recommended as a non-pharmacological means in the management of an obese adolescent population.