Effects of high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: Adolescents with overweight or obesity commonly exhibit reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which is closely associated with cardiometabolic risk and premature mortality in adulthood. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been proposed as a time-efficient exercise strategy; however, quantitative evidence regarding the dose of HIIT in adolescents with overweight or obesity remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HIIT on CRF in adolescents with overweight or obesity and to explore the nonlinear association between weekly HIIT dose and improvements in CRF using dose-response meta-analysis.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and CNKI were searched from database inception to March 2026. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials involving adolescents aged 10-18 years with overweight or obesity. Interventions consisted of structured HIIT or sprint interval training, and comparators included usual care, health education, or no additional structured exercise. The outcomes were VO2max/VO2peak measured in the laboratory, or equivalent CRF indices estimated using standardized field tests. Two reviewers independently performed study screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the RoB 2 tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to Hedges' g, and restricted cubic splines were further applied to examine the nonlinear relationship between weekly HIIT dose (MET-min/week) and CRF improvement.…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Regulation of nucleolus assembly by non-coding RNA polymerase II transcripts
- For a Healthy Histone Code, a Little SUMO in the Tail Keeps the Acetyl Away
- Discovering a binary CTCF code with a little help from BORIS
- Article Commentary: Stabilizing the Code–-Methods to Preserve RNA Prove Their Worth
- Foreword to the Special Issue for the RINTC (The Implicit Seismic Risk of Code-Conforming Structures) Project
- Commentary: Promoting Health and Well-being in Pediatric Primary Care Settings: Using Health and Behavior Codes at Routine Well-child Visits
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.