SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2023
High-intensity interval training in children and adolescents with special educational needs: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of high-intensity interval training for mental health and executive function in university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of high-intensity interval training effects on cognitive function in older adults and cognitively impaired patients.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of a High-Intensity Interval Games Program in Extra-Curricular Context (MOVI-daFIT!) on Gross Motor Competence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Primary Schoolchildren: Cluster-Randomized Trial.European journal of sport science · 2025Trial
- Effects of combined high-intensity interval and moderate-intensity continuous training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training alone in male adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Joint association of physical activity and screen exposure with subsequent suspected developmental coordination disorder in preschool children: a nationwide population-based study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Article
- Effects of 6-week high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training on classroom attention in children: a randomized controlled study.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Physical Activity as a Key Factor in Elevated BMI Among Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Activity and social correlates of physical fitness in Lithuanian schoolchildren.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Can 16 Minutes of HIIT Improve Attentional Resources in Young Students?Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been promoted as a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness in children and adolescents. However, there remains little consensus in the literature regarding its efficacy in children and adolescents with special educational needs (SEN). This study aimed to examine HIIT as a means of improving key health and fitness parameters in children and adolescents with SEN.
methodsA systematic search was conducted on eight databases (MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library). Studies were eligible if they 1) included an HIIT protocol, 2) examined parameters related to both physical and mental aspects of health and fitness, and 3) examined children and adolescents with SEN aged 5-17 years.
resultsOf the 1727 studies yielded by the database search, 13 (453 participants) were included and reviewed. We found that HIIT generally improved body composition, physical fitness, and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers across a spectrum of SEN (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder, and mental illness). Improvements in mental health and cognitive performance following HIIT have also been observed.
conclusionThis review provides up-to-date evidence for HIIT as a viable exercise strategy for children and adolescents with SEN. Further research investigating the benefits of HIIT in a wider range of SEN populations is warranted.
trial registrationThis study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Review (PROSPERO; registration number CRD42022352696).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.