OBJECTIVE: Adiposity may be associated with poorer cognitive function in children. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an obesity intervention on cognitive function in children. METHODS: One hundred and fifteen children were randomly allocated to either the day camp intervention arm (DCIA) or the standard intervention arm (SIA). Children in the DCIA participated in a 6-week day camp intervention and a subsequent 46-week family-based intervention. The camp intervention mainly consisted of physical exercise and health classes. The SIA was offered one weekly physical exercise session for 6 weeks and one educational meeting. Anthropometrics and cognitive function were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 52 weeks. RESULTS: At 6 weeks, the improvement in visuospatial construction skills was larger in the DCIA than the SIA (standardized mean difference 0.47, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.86, p = 0.02). At 52 weeks, the improvements in emotional control (standardized mean difference -0.42, 95% CI -0.68 to -0.16, p = 0.002) and monitoring (standardized mean difference -0.32, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.02, p = 0.04) were larger in the DCIA than the SIA. No group differences were observed in changes in other cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The obesity intervention may benefit emotional control, monitoring, and visuospatial construction skills in children.

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