Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 May 11;18(5):e0271845.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271845. eCollection 2023.

Effects of high-intensity interval training on physical morphology, cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jie Men  1 , Shuangling Zou  1 , Jia Ma  1 , Chenmin Xiang  1 , Shufeng Li  1 , Junli Wang  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of high-intensity interval training on physical morphology, cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jie Men et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of high-intensity interval training in children and adolescents.

Methods: Eight databases were searched. Descriptive analysis of the efficacy and safety of high-intensity interval training on body shape, cardiorespiratory fitness, and metabolic risk markers of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. Subgroup analysis was performed using age, participants, intervention time, and exercise frequency as covariates.

Results: 47 studies included 2995 children and adolescents. The results of the meta-analysis showed that high-intensity interval training significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness indicators (VO2max, SBP, DBP and HRmax) and cardiovascular disease biomarkers (TC and HDL-C). HIIT had no significant effect on body shape indicators (BMI, BF% and WC) or cardiovascular disease biomarkers (TG and LDL-C).

Conclusion: Currently, there is insufficient evidence that HIIT with interval running as the predominant form improves physical indicators in children and adolescents. However, HIIT can be promoted in children and adolescents to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce some metabolic risk of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. PRISMA diagram outlining the results of the screening and selection.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Analysis of the risk of bias according to the Cochrane collaboration guideline.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Forest plot of meta-analysis on the effect of body morphology indicators.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Forest plot of meta-analysis on the effect of CRF indicators.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Forest plot of meta-analysis on the effect of cardiovascular disease biomarkers.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Subgroup analysis of participants in children and adolescents with BF% in HIIT and control group.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Subgroup analysis of participants in children and adolescents with WC in HIIT and control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO. Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world. World Health Organization. 2018.
    1. Eddolls WTB, McNarry MA, Stratton G, Winn CON, Mackintosh KA. High-Intensity Interval Training Interventions in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. SPORTS MED. 2017;47(11):2363–74. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0753-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Monserrat Solera-Martínez ÁHIM. High-Intensity Interval Training and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children: A Meta-analysis. PEDIATRICS. 2021;148(4):e2021050810. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-050810 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Liu J, Zhu L, Su Y. Comparative Effectiveness of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training for Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Childhood Obesity: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. FRONT PHYSIOL. 2020 2020-04-03;11. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00214 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Meng C, Yucheng T, Shu L, Yu Z. Effects of school-based high-intensity interval training on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic markers in adolescent boys with obesity: a randomized controlled trial. BMC PEDIATR. 2022;22(1). doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-03079-z - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types