THURSDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- An aerobic exercise
program, consisting of stationary bike cycling to either music
or an interactive video game, provides many psychological
benefits for overweight and obese adolescents, according to a
study published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Pediatric
Psychology. Gary S. Goldfield, Ph.D., from the University of
Ottawa in Canada, and colleagues randomized 30 obese
adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years, to twice-weekly, laboratory-
based sessions of either stationary cycling to music or
stationary cycling to an interactive video game over a 10-week
trial. The researchers found no differences between exercise
groups over time. But when collapsed across exercise modality,
significant pre-post improvements were seen for body image,
perceived scholastic competence, and social competence.
Psychosocial functioning was positively associated with changes
in aerobic fitness but not body composition. "Aerobic exercise
was associated with improvements in body image, perceived acad