Improvements in body composition and postural control in children with obesity following an AI-assisted, deficit-oriented exercise intervention.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of an AI-assisted, individualized exercise management model on body composition, physical fitness, and postural stability in children with obesity, providing a feasibility foundation for subsequent randomized controlled trials.

METHODS

A single-group, pre-post pilot study was conducted. Nineteen children with simple obesity (7 girls, 12 boys; mean age 10.11 ± 2.0 years) from West China Second Hospital (July-September 2024) completed a 12-week exercise intervention. The AI system generated individualized FITT-VP prescriptions based on baseline assessments and dynamically adjusted them via training feedback, with on-site coach implementation. Outcomes were measured pre- and post-intervention.

RESULTS

All 19 children completed the intervention with no adverse events. Primary outcomes: BMI decreased from 25.29 ± 3.56 to 23.64 ± 3.60 kg/m2 (p < 0.001, d = 0.46), and body fat mass from 21.06 ± 6.70 to 17.94 ± 6.69 kg (p < 0.001, d = 0.47). Secondary outcomes: waist circumference (p < 0.01, d = 0.31), grip strength (p < 0.01, d = 0.54), 1-min jump rope (p < 0.01, d = 1.15), 1-min sit-ups (p < 0.05, d = 1.00), and sit-and-reach (p < 0.05, d = 0.67) all improved significantly. In the eight-directional postural control assessment, endpoint excursion and maximum excursion exhibited improvement trends in all directions, and reaction time was significantly reduced in four directions (p < 0.05). In the Sensory Organization Test, the mean balance percentages for SOT-4 and SOT-5 significantly increased (p < 0.01, d = 1.05 and d = 0.58, respectively), and the composite balance score increased by 24.15% (p < 0.001, d = 1.28). The visual ratio significantly increased by 19.5% (p < 0.05, d = 0.80), whereas the vestibular ratio increased by 15.3%, approaching but not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.054, d = 0.43).

CONCLUSION

The AI-assisted, deficit-oriented exercise intervention demonstrated good feasibility and safety in this cohort of children with obesity. The observed improvements in body composition, motor function, and postural control indicators provide a feasibility basis for subsequent confirmatory trials on precision exercise management for childhood obesity.