Effects of a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Program on Anthropomorphic and Cardiometabolic Variables in School Children with Overweight and Obesity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program on anthropomorphic and cardiometabolic variables in schoolchildren with overweight and obesity. A total of 443 schoolchildren (age: 6.37 ± 0.65 years) took part in this study. The experimental group (EG; n = 295; age = 6.40 ± 0.64 years) was compound with children with overweight and obesity, whereas children with normoweight were included in the control group (CG; n = 148; 6.31 ± 0.67 years). The EG performed a training program based on HIIT two times per week for 28 weeks (56 sessions), whilst the CG performed their habitual physical education classes based on the national curriculum. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat, ∑ 4 skinfold fat, waist to height ratio, waist circumference, and cardiometabolic risk were measured. The dependent variables were analysed by two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA 2 × 2). To analyse the percentage differences between groups, the chi-square test was used. P-value was set at p < 0.05. Significant differences were found in the EG in BMI, waist circumference, body fat, ∑ 4 skinfold fat, and waist to height ratio. In conclusion, an HIIT training program can be an effective tool for improving anthropomorphic variables and reducing cardiometabolic risk in schoolchildren with overweight and obesity.

Effects of School-Based High-Intensity Interval Training on Hemodynamic Parameters and Heart Rate Variability: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…However, the HIIT program significantly reduced the number of hypertensive and prehypertensive students after the intervention. In a very recent study, Espinoza Silva et al (14), detected no changes in blood pressure after a 28-week HIIT intervention in younger students. Inconsistent results between studies may be explained by differences in the study design.…”

10-Weeks TABATA workout in repetition and its effect on Body Mass Index and waist circumference of undergraduate students

“…It was also found out that such workouts may be of great benefit in the improvement of body mass index and waist circumference of students [35][36][37][38]. Importantly, certain scientific papers have shown that improvements are highly successful for overweight and obese individuals after seeing the effects of multiweek HIIT, such as the TABATA workout, in both overweight young adults and those with normal body mass index and waist circumference [39][40][41][42]. Additionally, there have been recent studies that have mentioned the effectiveness of TABATA training in the virtual environment.…”