The Effects of the Aerobic Endurance Running Program on the Morphological Characteristics of Adolescent Girls with Different Nutritional Status

The effects of the aerobic endurance running program on the morphological characteristics of adolescent girls with different nutritional SUMMARY: This study aimed to explore the effects of a single moderate-intensity aerobic endurance running program on the morphological characteristics of normal-weighted and overweighted female adolescents and whether effects differ between individuals of different nutritional statuses. A total of 47 adolescent girls participated in this randomized controlled trial. Before and after 12 weeks of intervention, measurements were obtained for body height, body mass, BMI, triceps, subscapular, abdominal, thigh, and calf skinfolds, and chest, abdominal, thigh, and calf circumference. The total duration of the program was 12 weeks, with a frequency of 2 hours/week (24 sessions). The individual session lasted 60 minutes, and the intensity ranged from 60 % HRmax to 80 %. The findings from the present study suggest that the 12-week aerobic endurance running program induced changes in morphological characteristics of female adolescents. The significant reductions in body mass and BMI were small for normal-weight adolescents (-2,64 % and -3,48 %) and moderate for overweight adolescents (-4,14 % and -4,36 %) following the experimental program. The magnitude of reductions in the skinfold thickness was small for both groups (triceps, subscapular, abdominal, and calf) and moderate for thigh skinfold and a sum of skinfolds in the overweight group. The reductions in the magnitude of all circular measures were small for both groups. It ranged from -1.59 % to -2.59 % for normal-weight and from -2.54 % to -3.92 % for overweight adolescents, respectively. Additionally, the effects of the applied program seem more favorable to overweight than normal-weight adolescents. This study's current findings indicate that the 12-week aerobic endurance running program is effective due to improvements in morphological characteristics, body mass, and BMI of female adolescents. Additionally, this study's findings show that applied aerobic endurance running program proved more effective for overweight adolescents.