Effects of Swimming Exercise on Early Adolescents' Physical Conditioning and Physical Health: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Swimming is a popular and cost-effective way to prevent sedentary behavior and improve physical conditioning and health during early adolescence. However, information on its impact and benefits on daily life activities is lacking. This systematic review aims to summarize the chronic effects of swimming on physical conditioning and physical health outcomes in early adolescents.

METHODS

The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed and PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and International Symposium of Biomechanics and Medicine in Swimming proceedings databases were searched. Eligibility criteria were defined on the PICOS framework (healthy adolescents in early puberty, swimming programmes or training, passive or active control groups, general effects on physical conditioning or health, longitudinal) and risk of bias was assessed using RoBANS 2.

RESULTS

From 2365 records, 20 non-randomized studies met the defined criteria. High heterogeneity in sample size and intervention was observed. While studies related to physical conditioning (

CONCLUSIONS

Swimming exercise seems to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiac output, haemodynamics, heart growth, motor performance, and body composition of early adolescents. Despite clear evidence that exists on these chronic effects, research on bone health, postural deficit, motor skills, and sleep quality is still missing.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.