Feasibility of Online High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Psychological Symptoms in Students in Lockdown During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an online High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program on clinical psychological symptoms in higher education students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.Materials and MethodsDuring the lockdown, 30 students aged 18–25 years, who had been screened previously with a cut-off score ≥5 in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, were randomly assigned to either the 4-week HIIT program with three sessions per week conducted through online videos, or a no-intervention control group. The primary outcome was the feasibility assessment. The secondary outcome was a psychological self-report with the 21-items Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Assessment and intervention were performed in compliance with social distancing rules.ResultsTwo participants in the HIIT were lost to follow-up, leaving 13 participants vs. 15 in the control group. We observed high adherence (87%) and complete safety for mental and physical status with the HIIT intervention delivered by online videos. The Mann-Whitney test demonstrated a significant (group × time, P-Value = 0.046) reduction of clinical stress symptoms and a trend (group × time, P-Value = 0.08) toward reduction of clinical depression symptoms, both favoring the HIIT group. No significant (group × time, P-Value = 0.118) interaction was found for anxiety symptoms.ConclusionThe online HIIT program was found to be feasible and safe in a clinical sample of young adults, who were experiencing social and physical restrictions due to COVID-19. HIIT reduced stress and depressive symptoms and thus these preliminary results show promise for broader application among higher education students during the present lockdown necessitated by the global COVID-19 health crisis.

Remote Interventions to Support Students’ Psychological Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review of Recent Approaches

“…Analysis of the results revealed that HIIT reduced both stress and depressive symptoms in the study group. The results suggest that this type of intervention has good tolerance (at a participation rate of 87%) and has the potential to counter mental problems among young people [ 38 ].…”

“…Moreover, four were supplemented by an additional follow-up examination [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 35 ]. An analysis of the statistical methods used revealed that three authors used univariate pre-post methods (Wilcoxon test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test) [ 34 , 35 , 38 ], six authors used linear models [ 27 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 36 , 37 ], three studies employed analysis of variance [ 28 , 30 , 31 ].…”

The Potential of Exerkines in Women’s COVID-19: A New Idea for a Better and More Accurate Understanding of the Mechanisms behind Physical Exercise

“…As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, many studies have been published, all of which report the effects of physical exercise alone on muscles and quality of life after hospital discharge [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. However, published studies have generally reported muscle strength after rehabilitation exercises and have not looked specifically at the underlying mechanisms affecting muscle or other organs [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. For this purpose, a review study was conducted to investigate the importance of exerkines in COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital.…”

“… Body mass index of patients with COVID-19 discharged from the hospital [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. …”

“…By reviewing past studies related to rehabilitation and physical exercise in the survivors of COVID-19, it can be well understood that most of those who were infected with COVID-19 were overweight and obese ( Figure 2 ) [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. Obesity could affect the exerkine response to physical exercise, especially in women.…”