Effet du régime alimentaire seul ou combiné à l’activité physique sur l’obésité et le surpoids chez les adolescents à Kinshasa, RD Congo

Context and objective. Knowledge of therapeutic interventions to treat obesity among sub-Saharan African adolescents is limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of diet and/or physical activity on overweight and obesity among teenagers. Methods. In prospective cohort study, we conducted 6 months long, three-arm randomized trial, to determine the effects of diet (A), aerobic exercise program (B), or the combination of both interventions (C) on change in body weight in Kinshasa, capital of DR Congo from July 15th, 2019 to February 18th, 2020. Results. A total of 64 overweight and obese adolescents were enrolled. Globally, their average BMI, BMI z-score and weight significantly decreased -0.5± 0.1 Kg / m², -0.10 ± 0.16 and -1.9 ± 2.6 Kg, respectively. Average loss weight at 6 months was -1.86 ±1.2 Kg, -1.14±0.99 Kg and -0.88±1.05 in group C (A+B), B and A, respectively. In contrast, in the control group D, the average weight slightly increased (+0.02 ± 0.01 Kg). Conclusion. Among overweight and obese adolescents, lifestyle change including diet, exercise, or both combined over 6 months improves the loss of body weight, mainly from the combined intervention. Keywords: Diet, Physical activity, Obesity, Adolescents, DR Congo Received: April 19th, 2021 Accepted: June 18th, 2021 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/aam.v14i4.2