About this Research Topic

Background

The prevalence of obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and diabetes among youth and young adults is alarmingly high in many countries, primarily driven by physical inactivity and unhealthy lifestyles. Despite the efforts of current health institutions and professionals, effectively addressing these disorders remains a significant challenge. Clinical and scientific research has demonstrated that specific exercise modalities, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training (RT), and concurrent training (CT), can significantly improve cardiometabolic health by providing cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine benefits through the stimulation of skeletal muscle mass and the cardiorespiratory system.

However, the implementation of these interventions in children, adolescents and young adults remains underexplored. Additionally, there is a gap in research focusing on the varying responsiveness to different exercise interventions, especially among those who do not respond to exercise stimuli (non-responders). Crucially, understanding how early life interventions impact health outcomes into adulthood is essential for developing long-term public health strategies.

To address these gaps, this Research Topic aims to gather and analyze the effects of HIIT, RT, CT, and other exercise protocols on children, adolescents and young adults, both within and outside the school context. The focus will be on understanding their impacts on body composition (specifically body fat and muscle mass), blood pressure, physical fitness, motor performance, and future health outcomes in adulthood. Additionally, this topic seeks to explore dose-response relationships and identify factors contributing to individual responsiveness or non-responsiveness to these physical exercises.

Manuscripts that address the following areas are welcome:

• The effects of HIIT programs on body composition, physiology, motor performance, and long-term health outcomes in children, adolescents and young adults.
• The influence of various HIIT protocols, intermittent exercise modalities, or other short- or long-term RT and CT efforts on overall body composition, function, and future health.
• Studies reporting both mean and inter-individual results in responders and non-responders to exercise modalities in children, adolescents and young adults.
• Research focused on short-term intervention approaches for reducing body fat, controlling blood pressure, enhancing physical efficiency, and improving motor performance, as well as long-term health benefits.
• Exercise studies conducted in acute or longitudinal terms in children, adolescents and young adults with different health outcomes, with a perspective on future adulthood health impacts.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating the effects of HIIT, RT, CT, or other exercise programs on the health of children, adolescents and young adults, and their relevance to future adult health.

Keywords: children, High-intensity interval training, sprint interval training, resistance training, concurrent training, physical education, adolescents, body composition, body fat, obesity, blood pressure, high blood pressure, responders, non-responders, dose-response

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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