Abstract

Excess body weight during childhood and adolescence is a public health issue that may surpass that of moderate and severe underweight in the next few years. Engaging in exercise confers several physiological and metabolic benefits, and thus exercise-based intervention programmes have a role to play in managing and treating paediatric obesity. Albeit the magnitude of research on the metabolic effects of exercise in children with obesity is far less than in the adult population, this chapter outlines the available evidence examining the impact of exercise interventions on different systems (e.g., vascular, hepatic, renal, etc.), conditions (e.g., hyperlipidaemia, insulin resistance), and responses (e.g., inflammatory status, oxidative stress) in children and adolescents. While it is clear that exercise offers multiple benefits in the paediatric population, gaps remain regarding the most advantageous exercise prescription (e.g., frequency, intensity, time, and type) for each physiological system in children and adolescents.