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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1568129
This article is part of the Research Topic Physical Education, Health and Education Innovation-Vol III View all 4 articles
Enhancing Adolescent Health: The Role of Strength and Endurance schoolbased HIIT Interventions in Physical Fitness and Cognitive Development
Provisionally accepted
José Antonio Pérez-Ramírez 1
Maria Paula Santos 2
Jorge Mota 2
Francisco Tomás González-Fernández 1*
Emilio Villa-González 1- 1 Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport of Sciences, Granada, Spain
- 2 Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Porto, Porto, Portugal
Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is widely known for its outstanding benefits across several health domains including physical, psychological, social, and cognitive in children and adolescents. However, global trends indicate how low levels of PA and physical fitness among adolescents are increasing, with over 80% failing to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily.Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) intervention based on strength and endurance trainings protocols during physical education (PE) classes on body composition, physical fitness, and cognitive functions in adolescents aged 13-17 years. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with experimental group (EG) and control group (CG).Results: Results indicated significant improvements in the EG in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max), strength (hand grip, horizontal jump), and speed-agility (4x10 m test). Cognitive outcomes assessed via the D2 attention test revealed notable enhancements in concentration, a reduction in errors, and improved processing speed in the EG relative to the CG (p > 0.05).Discussion: Future studies should explore the long-term impacts of HIIT on cognitive growth and academic achievement, as well as determine the ideal duration and frequency of sessions to optimize benefits in various educational contexts. The results obtained reinforce the use of HIIT in school environments and are further research on its application.
Keywords: endurance1, strength2, 38 fitness3, attention4, concentration5. ¶ endurance1, fitness3, concentration5 Movido (inserción)[2] Con formato: Fuente: Sin Negrita Eliminado: 1! Eliminado: Furthermore, a Sangría: Izquierda: 0 cm
Received: 28 Jan 2025; Accepted: 01 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pérez-Ramírez, Santos, Mota, González-Fernández and Villa-González. 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:
Francisco Tomás González-Fernández, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport of Sciences, Granada, Spain
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