REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1625516
This article is part of the Research TopicExercise as a Central Pillar for Targeted Health and PerformanceView all 3 articles
Effects and moderator of high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training among children and adolescents with overweight or obese: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
Weihua Zheng1
Mingyue Yin2
Yan Guo3Haiyang Liu1Jiaxin Sun1Ao Zhu1
Kai Xu2
Hansen Li4
Yuming Zhong2
Shunzhe Piao1*- 1Shenyang Sport University, Shenyang, China
- 2Shanghai University of Sport, shanghai, China
- 3Hua Qiao University, QuanZhou, China
- 4Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China
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Objectives This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize current evidence and address inconsistencies in the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on children and adolescents with overweight or obesity. We sought to: (1) assess the effects of HIIT and MICT versus non-exercise controls; (2) compare HIIT and MICT directly; and (3) identify potential moderators through subgroup analyses.Methods Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and CSTJ. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses explored potential moderators.Results A total of 26 moderate-to-high-quality studies (RCT and non-RCT) involving 1,078 participants (765 males, 313 females; aged 9-19) were included. Compared with controls, HIIT significantly reduced fat mass (SMD = -0.69), waistline (SMD = -0.67), body weight (SMD = -0.81), diastolic blood pressure (DBP, SMD = -0.68), and improved VO2max (SMD = 2.06). MICT showed significant effects on BMI (SMD = -1.58), body weight (SMD = -0.59), DBP (SMD = -0.60), and VO2max (SMD = 1.26). HIIT outperformed MICT in improving VO2max (SMD = 0.81) and reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP, SMD = -0.51). Subgroup analyses showed that HIIT yielded greater benefits than MICT in improving VO2max among overweight children, reducing SBP in obese male adolescents, and in programs involving more than three sessions per week.Conclusions HIIT was more effective than MICT in improving VO2max and reducing SBP, especially in specific subgroups. Running-based HIIT three times per week is recommended, while cycling may offer a safer alternative. Results should be interpreted cautiously due to limited subgroup data and potential bias.
Keywords: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), MICT, Children, Adolescent, Body Shape, Cardiopulmonary health
Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 17 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zheng, Yin, Guo, Liu, Sun, Zhu, Xu, Li, Zhong and Piao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shunzhe Piao, Shenyang Sport University, Shenyang, China
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