ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2023
Aquatic high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be similarly effective to land-based HIIT in improving exercise capacity in people with chronic conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of aquatic exercise on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in adults: A systematic review and meta-analyses.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Dynamic Metabolic Changes Driven by Exercise Intensity in Acute Swimming.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2025Trial
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- The effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in adults with psychiatric disorders: a scoping review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Review
- Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Individuals with Hypertension: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Treatment Program for Severe Obesity in Adults Based on the Clinically Significant Weight Loss.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Comparative effectiveness of physical training modalities on swimming performance: a two-tier network meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- A Network Meta-Analysis of Aerobic, Resistance, Endurance, and High-Intensity Interval Training to Prioritize Exercise for Stable COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2024Article
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
Objective: To investigate the effect of aquatic high-intensity interval training (AHIIT) on exercise capacity in people with chronic conditions. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Participants: Adults (age ≥18 years) with any chronic conditions (long duration, continuing health problems). Data sources: The databases Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTSDiscus, PEDro and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 11 August 2023. Eligibility criteria: Randomised or non-randomised controlled trials of adults reporting one or more chronic conditions were included, comparing the effect of AHIIT with a non-exercising control group, land-based high-intensity interval training (LBHIIT) or aquatic moderate-intensity continuous training (AMICT). Results: Eighteen trials with 868 participants with chronic musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic or neurological conditions were included. Adherence to AHIIT was high, ranging from 84% to 100%. There was moderate certainty in evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system for a moderate beneficial effect on exercise capacity standardised mean differences (SMD) 0.78 (95% CI 0.48 to 1.08), p<0.00001) of AHIIT compared with a non-exercising control group. There was moderate certainty in evidence for no difference of effects on exercise capacity (SMD 0.28 (95% CI -0.04 to 0.60), p=0.08) of AHIIT compared with LBHIIT. There was moderate certainty in evidence for small effect on exercise capacity (SMD 0.45 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.80), p=0.01) of AHIIT compared with AMICT. Conclusion: There are beneficial effects of AHIIT on exercise capacity in people with a range of chronic conditions. AHIIT has similar effects on exercise capacity as LBHIIT and may represent an alternative for people unable to perform LBHIIT. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022289001.
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