High-intensity interval training in children and adolescents with special educational needs: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Abstract

Background High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been promoted as a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness in children and adolescents. However, there remains little consensus in the literature regarding its efficacy in children and adolescents with special educational needs (SEN). This study aimed to examine HIIT as a means of improving key health and fitness parameters in children and adolescents with SEN. Methods A systematic search was conducted on eight databases (MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library). Studies were eligible if they 1) included an HIIT protocol, 2) examined parameters related to both physical and mental aspects of health and fitness, and 3) examined children and adolescents with SEN aged 5–17 years. Results Of the 1727 studies yielded by the database search, 13 (453 participants) were included and reviewed. We found that HIIT generally improved body composition, physical fitness, and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers across a spectrum of SEN (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder, and mental illness). Improvements in mental health and cognitive performance following HIIT have also been observed. Conclusion This review provides up-to-date evidence for HIIT as a viable exercise strategy for children and adolescents with SEN. Further research investigating the benefits of HIIT in a wider range of SEN populations is warranted. Trial registration This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Review (PROSPERO; registration number CRD42022352696).

Monitoring Educational Intervention Programs for Children and Young People with Disabilities through a Web Application

“…These techniques enhance the precision of therapeutic intervention programs. All of this is expected to help improve the quality of life of users and families [11,12,14].…”

Can 16 Minutes of HIIT Improve Attentional Resources in Young Students?

“…In particular, selective attention is the process through which a person is able to select and focus on specific information necessary for the fulfilment of a task, while alluding to inconsequential information or distractors, both internal (own thoughts or automatic responses) and external (auditory, visual, or environmental stimuli), that hinder the specific execution of a task [ 6 ]. On the other hand, attentional efficacy (AE) is the cognitive capacity that a person possesses to regulate and optimise the attentional process to select a stimulus and maintain attention over a certain period of time [ 7 , 8 ]. Visual perception (VP), meanwhile, is the ability to interpret visual information received from the environment and give meaning to what is observed [ 9 ].…”

“…In addition to the aforementioned effects, this methodology produces improvements at the cognitive level, since it has an influence on selective attention, attentional breadth (which is defined as greater attentional focus at a global level, which implies the greater extension of visual attention) [ 16 ], and visuoperceptive ability [ 7 , 17 ]. HIIT promotes cerebral synaptogenesis, increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), produces greater cerebral blood flow, and stimulates the process of neurogenesis [ 18 ].…”