Effectiveness of Jogging as an Intervention to Prevent Obesity in Elementary School Children and Developmental Implications

Childhood obesity poses a severe global public health threat, with China facing a projected overweight/obesity rate of 28.0% among children aged over 7 by 2030, adversely impacting both physical and mental health. This paper comprehensively analyzes the intervention effects of jogging on preventing obesity and influencing the growth and development of primary school students. The results of this paper indicate that jogging effectively regulates energy balance, activates aerobic metabolism, significantly burns calories through hormonal regulation, improves insulin sensitivity, reduces fat synthesis and enhances satiety. Physiologically, jogging enhances cardiorespiratory fitness, promotes bone/muscle development and increases bone mineral density. Crucially, jogging can also have significant mental health benefits, reducing anxiety and depression while increasing self-esteem and confidence. In addition, it enhances cognitive functioning, particularly executive control and breadth of attention in the classroom (12%-18% increase). In addition, group jogging activities help develop social adjustment and life skills. This paper identifies major barriers to physical activity (academic stress, lack of safe spaces, and screen time) and proposes multilevel prevention strategies involving school, family, and society, findings that provide strong evidence for the development of effective obesity prevention policies and the promotion of holistic child development.