Boosting Cardiorеspiratory Fitnеss with Thе Daily Milе: A Pilot Study in Ovеrwеight Youth from a Low-Incomе Colombian School

Purpose This study evaluated the effects of a 10-week Daily Mile (DM) intervention on physical fitness and plantar pressure in overweight and obese children from a low-income school in Colombia. Methods A parallel group experimental pilot study was conducted with participants aged 11–17 from a Colombian school. Children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG, n = 21) that performed DM three days/week in addition to the usual curriculum, or to a control group (CG, n = 24). Outcomes included anthropometry, blood pressure, muscular fitness, baropodometry, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). A hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to assess the intervention’s effect on CRF. Results No significant differences between groups were observed in anthropometry, blood pressure, muscular fitness, or baropodometry variables. In contrast, CRF significantly improved in the IG, with an average increase of ∼150 meters in the Shuttle Run Test compared to controls (CG: 517.61 (71.93) vs IG: 400.00 (182.29) m, p = 0.028). Hierarchical regression confirmed this effect (β = 149.88; CI 95% 55.8–210.0, p = 0.002). Discussion A 10-week DM intervention significantly enhanced CRF in overweight and obese schoolchildren from a disadvantaged Colombian community. These findings highlight DM as a feasible, low-cost, and scalable school-based strategy to promote fitness and address childhood obesity in resource-limited settings.