Abstract
Purpose: To assess the effect of 1 week of consuming a placebo "energy drink"compared with a week of drinking regular water on daily physical activity in obese children participating in a weight reduction multidisciplinary program. Methods: Seventeen prepubertal (age = 128.7 [26.6] m) overweight and obese children (7 females and 10 males) participated in the study. Participants received 7 bottles ofmineral water per week for 2 weeks. Different types of information were randomly provided regarding the drink consumed in each week: Standard (water) versus deliberate positive information (presumed energy drink and placebo). Daily step count was measured using pedometers and compared using paired t test. Results: After consuming the placebo drink, children demonstrated a significantly higher average daily step number (10,452 [4107]) comparedwith the days they drankwater (8168 [2928], P < .005).This differencewas attributedmainly tomale participants.Conclusion: The use of placebo in the form of deliberate positive information was associated with a significant increase in real-life physical activity in overweight and obese children, especially in boys. Positive informationmay be used to encourage childrenwith obesity to enhance daily physical activity and energy expenditure.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 120-124 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Pediatric Exercise Science |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 6 May 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 Human Kinetics, Inc.
Keywords
- Exercise performance
- Gender
- Make-believe drink
- Step count
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine