Introduction: In the last two decades, an increase in obesity along with a number of co-morbidities has been recorded among children and adolescents.
Objective: The aim was to investigate if there was a difference in nutritional status between adolescents who were active sportsmen and those who did not engage in sport activities other than regular physical activities at school and if active training could be an independent factor in the prevention of obesity.
Methods: There were 117 male adolescents on average aged 15.4 +/- 1.8 years. The subjects were divided into two groups; 32 active sportsmen engaged in regular training in football and a control group consisting of 85 adolescents engaged in no physical activity except for that at school (two hours per week). In all subjects Body Mass Index (BMI) was determined. The percentage of the total body fat was estimated from the sum of values of skin fold thickness measured at four sites (according to Durnin and Womersley). Lean Body Mass (LBM) was estimated by deducting the triceps skin fold from the upper arm circumference and comparing it to the norms. All collected data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical methods: chi2-test, t-test.
Results: Adolescent sportsmen showed a statistically significantly lower BMI and percentage of total body fat than the adolescents in the control group (p < 0.01). A significantly higher LBM was found in the sportsmen (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Active participation in sports can be a contributing factor in the prevention of obesity, and it is therefore recommended to combine regular physical activities with an adequate diet. BMI screening of general population can indicate a high number of children and adolescents at risk for obesity or who are already obese.