Effects of a 6-week circuit training intervention on body esteem and body mass index in British primary school children

Research examining the impact of physical activity on children���s body image has been limited and equivocal. The current researchers examined the effect of 6-week circuit-based training on body esteem and body mass index (BMI) in 68 British children (34 boys and 34 girls, aged 10���11 years, 16% overweight, 7% obese). The Body Esteem Scale for Children (BES-C)was administered to both the intervention group and control group, pre, post and 6 weeks post the intervention. BMI was directly assessed from height and body mass pre- and post-intervention. The results of this study revealed that, as compared to the control group,participation in 6-week circuit training significantly improved body esteem scores post-intervention. However, these scores were not sustained 6 weeks post-intervention. The improvement in body esteem scores from pre- to post- intervention was greater for girls as compared to boys.Additionally,BMI decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group