We determined the effect of supervised physical training, without diet
ary intervention, on body composition of obese girls, The subjects wer
e 25 obese 7-to 11-year-old black girls, divided into physical trainin
g and lifestyle education groups which were comparable on baseline bod
y composition; 22 girls finished all aspects of the study, Twelve girl
s engaged in aerobic training (10 weeks, 5 days/week) while 10 engaged
in weekly lifestyle discussions without formal physical training, Tot
al body and regional body composition were measured with dual energy x
-ray absorptiometry, skinfolds and circumferences, Aerobic fitness was
measured by heart rate response to submaximal treadmill exercise, The
physical training group attended 94% of scheduled sessions and kept t
heir heart rates at an average of 163 bpm for 28 minutes/session. The
lifestyle group attended 95% of their sessions; they remained stable i
n aerobic fitness and most body composition measurements, The physical
training group showed a significant improvement in aerobic fitness an
d a significant decline of 1.4% body fat, Skinfold and circumference i
ndices of fatness also declined significantly in the training group, W
e conclude that controlled physical training, without dietary interven
tion, improved the fitness and body composition of obese black girls.