High-intensity Small-sided Soccer Games for Cardiometabolic Health in Adolescents With Metabolic Dysfunction

Universidade do Porto

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity, Adolescent; Metabolic Syndrome

Treatments: Behavioral: Small-sided soccer games groups (SSSG); Behavioral: Traditional soccer training groups (TSG)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06377137

University of the Porto

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pediatric obesity is considered one of the most important public health problems worldwide due to its high prevalence and associated comorbidities. Physical exercise has been shown to have an important role in the treatment of obesity and associated cardiometabolic dysfunction. Small-sided soccer games (SSSG) have been explored as a promising way of increasing physical exercise due to its benefits on cardiometabolic health and high degree of enjoyment, which favors long-term adherence.

The objective of this research is to determine the effects of a 16-week high-intensity SSSG-based exercise intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors, physical fitness, adherence to 24-hour movement patterns, enjoyment and adherence to the intervention in adolescents with metabolic dysfunction and compare them to the effects of a traditional soccer intervention.

The investigators hypothesize that high-intensity SSSG are more effective in improving the obesity-related cardiometabolic risk profile in adolescents with cardiometabolic dysfunction compared to traditional soccer training.

A parallel 3-arm randomized controlled trial will be conducted in adolescents with overweight and metabolic dysfunction between 11 and 15 years of age. The inclusion criteria are: (i) age between 11-15 years at the time of intervention start; (ii) overweight or obesity (BMI> 85th percentile); (iii) Abdominal obesity ≥90th percentile as assessed by waist circumference or a waist-to-height ratio ≥ 0.5; (iv) willing to participate in the study regardless of possible group allocation; (v) informed consent given by participant and legal representatives. Exclusion criteria: (i) health condition not compatible with participation in physical exercise; (ii) history of recent musculoskeletal injury hindering exercise participation; (iii) concurrent participation in a structured weight loss or exercise program.

Those eligible to participate in the study will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: i) SSSG group, ii) traditional soccer play group (TSG), or, iii) non-exercise intervention control group (CG). Participants in both exercise intervention groups will undergo a 16-week intervention. The SSSG group will participate in a high-intensity small-sided soccer games training, while the TSG will undergo a technical and tactical skills training program and traditional soccer training. The CG participants will continue with regular school physical education classes without any additional intervention. Before and after the intervention, all participants will be assessed for cardiometabolic and hepatic biochemical markers, physical fitness, anthropometry and body composition, blood pressure, objective daily physical activity and sleep quality, and perceived enjoyment of participation in SSSG and TSG. The primary outcomes of the study will be waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness.

The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto and by the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Adventist University of Chile.

Enrollment: 51 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 11 to 15 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 11-15 years at the time of intervention start
• Overweight or obesity (BMI> 85th percentile)
• Abdominal obesity ≥90th percentile as assessed by waist circumference or a waist-to- height ratio ≥ 0.5
• Willing to participate in the study regardless of possible group allocation
• Informed consent given by participant and legal representatives

Exclusion criteria

• Health condition not compatible with participation in physical exercise
• History of recent musculoskeletal injury hindering exercise participation
• Concurrent participation in a structured weight loss or exercise program

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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51 participants in 3 patient groups

Small-sided soccer games groups (SSSG)

Experimental group

Description:

SSSG will perform 16 weeks of training, 3 sessions/week, and \~55 minutes/session. Each session will begin with a 15-minute warm-up, 32 minutes of principal activity, and 5 minutes of cool down. The SSSG will consist of a program based on high-intensity SSSG. The training protocol is based on a pilot study conducted to characterize the exertion profile. The SSSG will be performed in a fractional regimen of 8 sets of 4 minutes and 2 minutes rest. The format of the SSGs will be 3v3, although they can be adapted to 2v2 or 4v4 when necessary. In addition, it will take place in a playing area of 9 x 18 meters equivalent to 27 square meters per player. To encourage high intensity, the following will be used (i) man-to-man marking; (ii) to score a goal, the entire team must be in the opponent's half of the field; (iii) balls will be available to reduce stoppages in play; (iv) the coach will motivate the team to maintain high intensity.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Small-sided soccer games groups (SSSG)

Traditional soccer training groups (TSG)

Experimental group

Description:

SSSG will perform 16 weeks of training, 3 sessions/week, and \~55 minutes/session. Each session will begin with a 15-minute warm-up, 32 minutes of principal activity, and 5 minutes of cool down. The TSG group will base its training on 30 minutes of technical exercises with the ball individually or in pairs (dribbling, shooting and passing), ending with 10 minutes of a match organized according to the original characteristics of an indoor soccer game.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Traditional soccer training groups (TSG)

Control Group (CG)

No Intervention group

Description:

CG will perform only regular school physical education classes without any additional intervention