# Adherence Patterns and Health Outcomes in Spanish Young Women Participating in a Virtual-Guided HIIT Program: Insights from the Randomized Controlled WISE Trial PMID: 39408141 Journal: Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Published: 2024 Oct 1 Authors: Ferrando-Terradez I, San Martín Valenzuela C, Dueñas L, Alcántara E, Sendín-Magdalena A, Ezzatvar Y ## Question Does an unsupervised virtual-guided HIIT program improve adherence, daily steps, self-reported physical activity, sleep quality, and quality of life among young women compared with control? ## Summary This Spanish center report from the WISE randomized trial tested a 6-month remotely delivered, app-guided HIIT program in young sedentary women. The program had moderate adherence among completers, but daily steps decreased in both intervention and control groups, sleep quality worsened, and quality-of-life scores did not change. Self-reported physical activity shifted upward, but group differences were not significant. ## Population - Sedentary young women recruited from schools and universities. - Sample size: 106 - Age: Eligible age 15-24 years; completers in intervention averaged 21.10 years and controls 21.04 years. - Sex: Young women only. - Fitness level: Sedentary by non-compliance with WHO physical activity recommendations and IPAQ score <1. - Health status: Excluded diabetes, cardiac problems incompatible with exercise, unwillingness to wear smartwatch, and severe COVID-19 history. ## Methodology - Single-blind randomized controlled trial report from the Spanish WISE study center. - 6 months, with baseline, halfway, and final assessments. - Remote mobile-app intervention in Valencia, Spain; face-to-face assessments at the University of Valencia Physiotherapy Department. - Randomized and controlled study design. ## Protocol - WISE virtual-guided HIIT. - Modality: Mobile-app exercise videos. - Sets or repetitions: Video-guided sessions; exact interval structure not reported in this outcomes article. - Intensity: Gradually increased; two intensity levels offered from session 10; perceived exertion averaged 6.34 on modified Borg scale. - Session duration: 20-30 minutes including 5-7 minute warm-up, 10-15 minute HIIT, and 5-7 minute cooldown/stretching. - Frequency: Adherence-duration criterion was at least 20 minutes twice per week; prescribed weekly frequency not clearly stated in this article. - Program length: 6 months. - Progression: Exercises increased in intensity over sessions and offered level choice from session 10. - Control with guidelines and activity monitor. - Modality: General physical activity guidance and smartwatch access. - Program length: 6 months. - Progression: Control received exercise videos and educational messages after study completion. ## Outcomes ### Daily steps Status: worse/safety concern Daily steps decreased over time in both intervention and control groups, with no significant group-by-time interaction. Time effect F(1.61,133.92)=15.43, p<0.01, partial eta squared=0.16; group effect p=0.12. ### Sleep quality Status: worse/safety concern PSQI scores worsened at midterm and post-intervention in both groups. Time effect F(1.84,152.73)=24.65, p<0.01, partial eta squared=0.23; group effect p=0.07. ### Quality of life Status: no clear change HLPCQ quality-of-life/lifestyle score did not significantly change. Time effect p=0.89; group effect p=0.71. ### Self-reported physical activity Status: mixed IPAQ categories shifted from low toward moderate/high activity in both groups, but groups did not differ statistically. Intervention time effect chi-square(2)=46.97, p<0.01; control chi-square(2)=16.28, p<0.01; no group differences at measurement times. ## Practical Insights - Remote HIIT needs adherence monitoring beyond video access because only about one-third met the twice-weekly 20-minute duration criterion. - Daily steps may decline even when self-reported activity improves, so apps should monitor total activity compensation. - Sleep should be monitored when high-intensity programs are delivered remotely. ## Limitations - Spanish-center analysis rather than full multinational WISE trial. - External factors such as season, exam periods, holidays, and temperature were not controlled. - Menstrual cycle was not controlled. - No long-term post-program follow-up. - Exact interval structure and physiological intensity targets were not reported in this outcomes article. ## Safety And Adherence - No explicit adverse-event reporting was found in the extracted text. - Cardiac problems incompatible with exercise were an exclusion criterion. ## Original Sources - [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39408141/) (pubmed) - [DOI](https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12191961) (doi) - [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11475678/) (full text) ## Agent Guidance Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.