Asthma and high-intensity interval training have no effect on clustered cardiometabolic risk or arterial stiffness in adolescents
Question
Do asthma status and a 6-month school-based HIIT intervention affect clustered cardiometabolic risk factors or arterial stiffness in adolescents?
Summary
In a subsample of adolescents from a school-based HIIT trial, 6 months of game- and circuit-based HIIT did not change clustered cardiometabolic risk or arterial stiffness measures. No adverse events were reported, but the authors noted poor adherence as a key limitation.
Methodology
- Adolescents with and without asthma who completed all four assessment timepoints in the X4A trial
- 65 participants.
- Circuits and games-based activities.
- Work intervals: 10-30 seconds, progressed over the intervention.
- Recovery: Matched rest intervals.
- Intensity: Intended >90% HRmax.
- 30 minutes.
- 3 sessions per week.
- 6 months.
- Randomized school-based intervention subsample analysis
- Clustered cardiometabolic risk, Arterial stiffness, Blood pressure, and Safety were tracked.
Outcomes
Risk factors
The HIIT intervention did not affect clustered cardiometabolic risk factors.
No intervention effect or interaction was found for any PCA-derived factor at any timepoint.
Arterial stiffness
Arterial stiffness outcomes were not improved by HIIT.
No intervention effect was found for arterial stiffness-related PCA factors; PWV and AIx were interpreted as distinct constructs.
Individual markers
Some individual markers such as LDL, diastolic blood pressure, and SEVR showed isolated intervention effects.
Intervention effects were reported for LDL at mid-intervention p=0.019, DBP at mid-intervention p=0.029, and SEVR post-intervention p=0.006.
Safety
No adverse events were reported in either group.
Adverse events were reported narratively as none in both intervention and control groups.
Insights
- School HIIT did not change clustered cardiometabolic or arterial-stiffness measures in this adolescent subsample.
- Mild, controlled asthma was not associated with worse arterial stiffness in this cohort.
- Poor adherence can limit the impact of school-based HIIT even when the program is ecologically realistic.
Limitations
- Subsample restricted to participants with all four timepoints.
- Mostly Caucasian urban adolescents.
- Asthma was mostly mild/well controlled and partly self-reported.
- Adiposity was measured indirectly.
- Poor adherence limited intervention influence.
Safety
- No adverse events were reported in either group. Adolescents with an unstable asthma exacerbation in the previous 4 weeks were excluded.