Changes in Anthropometric Measurements, Body Composition, and Blood Pressure in 6-10-Year-Old Children with Overweight and Obesity in Szczecin During a Year-Long Intervention Program.

Background: The growing problem of excess body weight in children is currently one of the most important public health threats. Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a year-long intervention on the body composition and blood pressure of 6-10-year-old children with excess body weight in the city of Szczecin. This study was divided into two parts: stage I was a cross-sectional population-based study (screening in schools) while stage II was an interventional study with before/after comparison. Results: A total of 4890 children participated in the first stage, while 515 children qualified for the second stage. During each visit in the intervention stage, anthropometric measurement (height, body weight), body composition analysis using bioelectrical impedance (body fat mass in kilograms, percentage of body fat, muscle mass in kilograms, fat-free mass), and blood pressure measurement were performed. This study did not record a significant effect of the year-long intervention on changes in the blood pressure percentiles of the children. However, there was a significant increase in the number of children with a normal percentage of body fat (92.64% vs. 96.92%) and a significant increase in muscle mass in the majority of children (96.30%, p < 0.0001). The body fat percentage, body fat mass, and muscle mass measurements differed between children who were overweight and those who were obese. The average percentage (girls 27.80 ± 2.72 vs. 24.61 ± 3.04; p < 0.0001, boys 20.93 ± 4.51 vs. 16.02 ± 1.83; p < 0.0001) and mass of body fat (girls 12.12 ± 2.82 vs. 9.44 ± 1.46; p = 0.0001, boys 9.73 ± 3.72 vs. 6.16 ± 1.31; p = 0.0001), as well as the average muscle mass (31.01 ± 4.6 vs. 26.8 ± 4.08; p < 0.0001), were higher in children with obesity compared to those with overweight. Conclusions: Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic programs focused on treating excess body weight in children.