Effects of Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise and High-Intensity Continuous Exercise on Inhibitory Function of Overweight and Obese Children

This study aimed to examine whether a single bout each of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and high-intensity continuous exercise (HICE) could improve inhibitory functions of overweight and obese children, and which mode of exercise was more beneficial. Seventy-two overweight and obese children, with (26.02 ± 1.05 kg/m²), aged 10-14 years (11.56 ± 1.03 years), were randomly assigned to three groups. The HIIE group completed a 30-min treadmill exercise session (5-min warm up, 20-min HIIE, and 5-min cool-down). The HICE group performed 30 min of rope skipping, while the control (CON) group watched a designated cartoon on a tablet computer for the same duration. Reaction time and number of errors in the Stroop test were determined before and after the intervention. The difference between pre- and post-test reaction time scores was higher in the HIIE and HICE groups than in the CON group, while the pre- and post-test difference in the number of errors was similar between groups. Overall, it is likely that both acute HIIE and HICE were similarly efficient in facilitating cognitive and inhibitory functions of children with overweight and obesity conditions, supporting the benefits of acute high-intensity exercise probability for cognitive functions of children in general, as well as of the population with overweight and obesity conditions.