SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Obesity
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1449436
Physical Activity Based Interventions for Reducing Body Mass Index in Children Aged 6 to 12 years: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
Nicolás Muñoz-Urtubia1*
Alejandro Vega-Muñoz2,3*
Guido Salazar-Sepúlveda4,5
Miguel Angel García-Gordillo6
José Carmelo Adsuar7- 1Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Austral University of Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- 2Faculty of Health Sciences, Central University of Chile, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile
- 3Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique, Chile
- 4Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- 5Facultad de Ingeniería y Negocios, Universidad de Las Américas, Concepción, Chile
- 6Department of Administration and Economics, Faculty of Law and Business, University of La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- 7Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
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This systematic review examined the impact of physical activity-based interventions on body mass index (BMI) reduction in children aged 6 to 12 years. Following PRISMA guidelines and using the PICOS framework, a comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed database, yielding 13,927 records; seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Included studies featured both preventive and treatment-oriented approaches, provided they aimed to reduce BMI through physical activity. The findings suggest that interventions integrating family and school components, and grounded in behavioral theories such as Self-Determination Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, are more effective in reducing BMI and improving body composition. Multilevel strategies that foster autonomy, competence, and social support within biopsychosocial frameworks enhance motivation and adherence. Although observed reductions in BMI z-scores were modest, they reached clinically meaningful thresholds. These results highlight the need for comprehensive, context-sensitive strategies that involve families, schools, and communities in promoting healthy behaviors and sustainable outcomes in pediatric populations.
Keywords: Body Mass Index, Obesity, Prevalence, Early Intervention, physical activity
Received: 20 Jun 2024; Accepted: 04 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Muñoz-Urtubia, Vega-Muñoz, Salazar-Sepúlveda, García-Gordillo and Adsuar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Nicolás Muñoz-Urtubia, Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Austral University of Chile, Valdivia, Chile
Alejandro Vega-Muñoz, Faculty of Health Sciences, Central University of Chile, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile
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