Effects of Recreational Soccer on Anthropometric Measures, Metabolic Markers, Physical Fitness, and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents with Overweight/Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: This systematic review examined the effects of recreational soccer (RS) on anthropometric, metabolic, physical fitness, and mental health outcomes in youth with overweight/obesity. METHODS: Following PRISMA 2020, this review searched seven databases, assessed quality with Cochrane RoB 2 and PEDro, performed meta-analysis in RevMan 5.4, used random-effects meta-analysis, and graded evidence certainty with GRADE. RESULTS: Meta-analysis showed that RS was associated with significant reductions in BMI z-score [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.93 to -0.08, p = 0.02; k = 4, n = 147], waist circumference (WC) [mean difference (MD) = -8.60 cm, 95% CI: -11.98 to -5.23, p < 0.00001; k = 6, n = 176], systolic blood pressure (SBP) (MD = -4.21 mmHg, 95% CI: -7.92 to -0.51, p = 0.03; k = 7, n = 216), insulin (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.77 to -0.04, p = 0.03; k = 3, n = 119), total cholesterol (MD = -19.90 mg/dL, 95% CI: -30.33 to -9.47, p = 0.0002; k = 3, n = 119), high-density lipoprotein (MD = 8.36 mg/dL,95% CI: 4.80-11.91, p < 0.00001; k = 4, n = 132), low-density lipoprotein (MD = -14.13 mg/dL, 95% CI: -24.44 to -3.81, p = 0.007; k = 4, n = 119), and flexibility (sit and reach) (MD = 1.90 cm, 95% CI: 0.66-3.13, p = 0.003; k = 3, n = 94). CONCLUSIONS: Regular RS participation improves anthropometric and cardiometabolic outcomes in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity, with robust evidence for reductions in WC and SBP. Findings for other outcomes are preliminary due to the limited number of studies and require further confirmation.