Effect of two-weeks of school-based sprint training on physical fitness, risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases and cognitive function in adolescent girls: A randomized controlled pilot trial

The Effects of Exergames on Physical Fitness, Body Composition and Enjoyment in Children: A Six-Month Intervention Study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Physical inactivity in children can lead to decreased physical fitness and reduced enjoyment of physical activity. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of exergaming on physical fitness, body composition and perceived enjoyment in elementary school children.

METHODS

Sixty-four male students (mean age 9.5 years) were randomly assigned to an exergaming group (EG, n = 32), engaging in Kinect Adventures three times a week for six months, or a control group (CG, n = 32), which continued standard physical education. Assessments were conducted pre- and post-intervention, including anthropometric measures, physical fitness tests (standing long jump, countermovement jump, sit-and-reach, 20-m sprint), aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle run), and perceived enjoyment measured with the PACES scale.

RESULTS

The EG demonstrated significant reductions in body weight, BMI, and relative fat mass compared to the CG (p < 0.01). Improvements in physical fitness were evident in EG, with increases in standing long jump distance (+12.8%; p < 0.0001), countermovement jump height (+65%, p < 0.0001), and flexibility (+75%; p < 0.0001). Aerobic fitness improved significantly in EG (+87.8m) compared to CG. Perceived enjoyment was notably higher in EG, especially at week three, compared to CG (69.3 ± 5.8 vs. 44.2 ± 11.6; p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Exergaming offers benefits for physical fitness and body composition in children, while also enhancing enjoyment. Incorporating exergames into physical education programs could be an effective strategy for addressing childhood obesity, improving physical skills, and increasing student enjoyment, encouraging long-term physical activity adherence.

Sprint Interval Training Improves Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor-Induced Benefits in Brain Health-A Possible Molecular Signaling Intervention

Physical exercise can significantly impact our bodies, affecting our functional capacity, structure establishment, and molecular makeup. The magnitude of these changes depends on the specific exercise protocols used. For instance, low-to-moderate-intensity exercise can activate important molecular targets in the short term, such as BDNF-mediated signaling, while high-intensity exercise can maintain these signaling molecules in the active state for a longer term. This makes it challenging to recommend specific exercises for obtaining BDNF-induced benefits. Additionally, exercise-induced molecular signaling targets can have positive and negative effects, with some exercises blunting these targets and others activating them. For example, increasing BDNF concentration through exercise can be beneficial for brain health, but it may also have a negative impact on conditions such as bipolar disorder. Therefore, a deeper understanding of a specific exercise-mediated mechanistic approach is required. This review will delve into how the sprint exercise-mediated activation of BDNF could help maintain brain health and explore potential molecular interventions.

Short-Term High-Intensity Rowing Ergometry Training Improves Rowing Performance Equally in Healthy Weight and Obese Adolescents

PURPOSE

Childhood obesity is a major health concern and physical activity is commonly proposed as an intervention strategy to combat the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in young people. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of high-intensity, supervised, rowing ergometer training on maximal and submaximal rowing performance in healthy weight and centrally obese adolescents (12-13 yr).

METHODS

Participants were randomized to either 6 wk of supervised rowing ergometry, comprising of 2 sessions per week with each session comprising of 2 × 3-min bouts of high-intensity rowing ergometry ( n = 57), or a control group who continued with their habitual activities ( n = 45). At baseline and follow-up, rowing performance was assessed via a submaximal test and a 3-min maximal test.

RESULTS

Six weeks of rowing ergometer training significantly improved maximal exercise performance; total distance rowed in a 3-min maximal effort improved by 19.7 m (2.7%) (time × group, P = 0.018) and produced a significant reduction in perceived effort in response to a set submaximal load (60 W) (time × group, P = 0.040). At baseline total distance rowed during the 3-min maximal test was significantly affected by body mass (main effect of body mass, P = 0.002), whereby a higher body mass was associated with enhanced rowing performance. However, the pattern of change over time was not different between healthy weight and centrally obese adolescents (time × group × waist centile, P = 0.577).

CONCLUSIONS

A 6-wk high-intensity rowing ergometry training intervention improved maximal rowing performance. This improvement was similar in healthy weight versus overweight and obese adolescents; yet overall overweight and obese adolescents had superior rowing performance compared to their healthy weight counterparts, suggesting that rowing may be an attractive exercise modality for interventions in overweight and obese young people.

The effects of exercise training on inflammatory markers in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION AND AIM

Exercise training is effective for improving cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents, but less is known about its impact on inflammatory markers. We therefore, undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the role of exercise training on pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in children and adolescents.

METHOD

A comprehensive search was conducted in three electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, from inception to December 2023 to identify exercise trials with and without control groups, involving participants with mean ages ranging from ≥ 6 to < 18 years, of age with measurements of at least one of the following pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, or CRP. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95 % confidence interval (ICs) were calculated using random effects models.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight studies involving 2043 children and adolescents were included. The results show that exercise training resulted in significant reductions in IL-6 [SMD: -0.44; 95 % CI: -0.68, -0.21; P = 0.001] and CRP [SMD: -0.28; 95 % CI: -0.41, -0.16; P = 0.001], but not TNF-α [SMD: -0.15; 95 % CI: -0.38, -0.07; P = 0.19]. Subgroup analyses showed that IL-6 and CRP were reduced with aerobic training in adolescents, as was CRP with high-intensity interval training.

CONCLUSION

These results provide evidence that exercise training is effective for reducing IL-6 and CRP in adolescents, but not in children, and any benefits may be modulated by the type of exercise performed.

Process evaluation of school-based high-intensity interval training interventions for children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Several systematic reviews have been published to investigate the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in schools. However, there has been limited attention given to understanding the functioning of the intervention processes, which is of paramount importance for interpreting and translating the intervention effectiveness. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the extent to which process evaluation is measured in school-based HIIT interventions and to explore the effects of process evaluation and intervention characteristics on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body composition, muscular strength, and blood pressure.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted in SPORT Discus (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, Scopus, Medline (Ovid) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The extent to which process evaluation is measured was narratively reported, alongside with the guidance of process evaluation of complex interventions by UK Medical Research Council. Meta-analyses and meta-regressions were conducted to determine the effects of process evaluation and intervention characteristics to the intervention outcomes.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 77 studies reporting on 45 school-based HIIT interventions. In total, five interventions reported process evaluation in a section or in a separate study, and only one intervention adopted a process evaluation framework. On average, 6 out of 12 process evaluation measures were reported in all interventions. Subgroup analyses did not indicate any beneficial treatment effects for studies with process evaluation group, whereas all pooled data and studies without process evaluation group showed significant improvement for CRF and body composition.

CONCLUSION

Process evaluation is frequently omitted in the literature of school-based HIIT in children and adolescents. Although reporting of process evaluation measures may not directly associate with better intervention outcomes, it allows accurate interpretation of intervention outcomes, thereby enhancing the generalisability and dissemination of the interventions.

Physiological Responses and Fatigue during a Repeated Shuttle-Sprint Running Test in Adolescent Schoolchildren: A Comparison between Sexes and Fatigue Calculation Methods

We examined physiological responses and fatigue in adolescent boys and girls during a repeated shuttle-sprint running test in a school setting. We also compared three calculation methods to assess fatigue during repeated sprints: the fatigue index (FI), the percent sprint decrement (Sdec), and the slope of performance decrement (SlopeD). Twenty-six adolescent students (10 girls and 16 boys, age: 15.3 ± 0.5 y) performed six 30 m sprints with a 180° change of direction at 15 m, interspersed with 10 s of recovery. Blood lactate (BL), heart rate (HR) and countermovement jump performance (CMJ) were measured before and after the sprint test. Boys achieved significantly faster sprint times (11.7% to 14.8% faster than girls in all sprints, p < 0.01), and had higher post-test BL compared with girls (14.0 ± 2.9 vs. 11.3 ± 3.2 mmol/L; p = 0.02; d = 0.93). However, all fatigue indices (FI, Sdec and SlopeD) were similar in boys and girls (FI = 11.5 ± 5.0 vs. 11.5 ± 5.0; SlopeD = 10.6 ± 4.8 vs. 14.5 ± 5.1; Sdec = 5.6 ± 2.2 vs. 7.3 ± 2.2, in boys and girls, respectively, p > 0.05 for all) and were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.86 to 0.97, p < 0.01). CMJ was higher in boys (p < 0.05), but CMJ performance dropped similarly from pre- to post-test in boys and girls (13.7 ± 7.0%, p < 0.01). In conclusion, neuromuscular fatigue during and after repeated shuttle-sprint running is similar in boys and girls, despite the faster sprint times, higher CMJ and higher BL in boys. SlopeD may be used as an alternative index to quantify fatigue during repeated shuttle-sprinting, as it takes into account performance in all sprints and may provide an average sprint-by-sprint performance drop.