This study compared the effect of prolonged moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on reducing abdominal visceral fat in obese young women with that of work-equivalent (300 kJ/training session) high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Forty-three participants received either HIIT (n=15), MICT (n=15), or no training (CON,n=13) for 12 weeks. The abdominal visceral fat area (AVFA) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (ASFA) of the participants were measured through computed tomography scans preintervention and postintervention. Total fat mass and the fat mass of the android, gynoid, and trunk regions were assessed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Following HIIT and MICT, comparable reductions in AVFA (−9.1, −9.2 cm²), ASFA (−35, −28.3 cm²), and combined AVFA and ASFA (−44.7, −37.5 cm²,p>0.05) were observed. Similarly, reductions in fat percentage (−2.5%, −2.4%), total fat mass (−2.8, −2.8 kg), and fat mass of the android (−0.3, −0.3 kg), gynoid (−0.5, −0.7 kg), and trunk (−1.6, −1.2 kg,p>0.05) regions did not differ between HIIT and MICT. No variable changed in CON. In conclusion, MICT consisting of prolonged sessions has no quantitative advantage, compared with that resulting from HIIT, in abdominal visceral fat reduction. HIIT appears to be the predominant strategy for controlling obesity because of its time efficiency.

Objective: This cross-sectional study examined the socio-ecological factors influencing fundamental motor skills (FMS) in Chinese school-aged children. Methods: A total of 1012 parent-child pairs were randomly sampled between March-1st and April-15th, 2022. Based on the socio-ecological model of Children’s FMS, three levels of factors: individual-level (e.g., demographic, physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of children), family-level (e.g., caregiver demographics, parental support, and socioeconomic status), and environmental factors (e.g., availability of physical activity equipment) were assessed using self-reported scales (e.g., the Self-perception Profile for Children, the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, and the 12-item Psychological Well-Being Scale for Children) and objective measures (e.g., ActiGraph GT3X, the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard, and the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition). Multi-level regression models were employed using SPSS. Results: The results demonstrated that children’s age, sex, physical fitness, parental support, and the quality of home and community physical activity environments consistently influenced all three types of FMS, including locomotor, ball, and composite skills. Additionally, seven individual-level factors (children’s age, sex, body mass index, light physical activity, sleep duration, perceived motor competence, and physical fitness) were associated with different types of FMS. Conclusions: The findings underscore the multidimensional and complex nature of FMS development, with individual-level factors playing a particularly significant role. Future research should adopt rigorous longitudinal designs, comprehensive assessment tools covering various FMS skills, and objective measurement of parents’ movement behaviors to better understand the strength and direction of the relationship between socio-ecological factors and children’s FMS.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Aerobic interval training (AIT) has been recommended to patients as a non-pharmacological strategy to manage DM. However, little is known about whether AIT intervention at the onset of DM will reverse the process of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). In this study, we sought to evaluate whether AIT can reverse the process of DCM and explore the underlying mechanisms. Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (CON), DCM group (DCM) and AIT intervention group (AIT). A high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ) were used to induce diabetes in rats in the DCM group and AIT group. Rats in the AIT group were subjected to an 8-week AIT intervention. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipid profiles and insulin levels were measured. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and oil red O staining were used to identify cardiac morphology and lipid accumulation, respectively. Serum BNP levels and cardiac BNP mRNA expression were measured to ensure the safety of the AIT intervention. Free fatty acid (FFA) and diacylglycerol (DAG) concentrations were analysed by enzymatic methods. AMPK, p-AMPK, FOXO1, CD36 and PPARα gene and protein expression were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. AIT intervention significantly reduced rat serum cardiovascular disease risk factors in DCM rats (P < 0.05). The safety of AIT intervention was illustrated by reduced serum BNP levels and cardiac BNP mRNA expression (P < 0.05) after AIT intervention in DCM rats histological analysis and FFA and DAG concentrations revealed that AIT intervention reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets within cardiomyocytes and alleviated cardiac lipotoxicity (P < 0.05). CD36 and PPARα gene and protein expression were elevated in the DCM group, and these increases were reduced by AIT intervention (P < 0.01). The normalized myocardial lipotoxicity was due to increased expression of phosphorylated AMPK and reduced FOXO1 expression after AIT intervention. AIT intervention may alleviate cardiac lipotoxicity and reverse the process of DCM through activation of the AMPK–FOXO1 pathway.

24 h movement behaviors, specifically physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep, play a crucial role in the prevention and intervention of childhood obesity. This study aimed to examine the association of 24 h movement behaviors with weight status and body composition among Chinese primary school children. Using a random stratified sampling, 978 eligible participants (9.1 ± 1.4 years, 53.2% boys) were recruited from 1 May to 15 July 2021. Demographics included children’s age, gender, grade, parents’ education level, and household income. Movement behaviors were measured by validated self-reported scales. Weight status and body composition (percent of body fat, PBF; fat-free mass, FFM; skeletal muscle mass, SMM) were measured objectively. Results indicated that participants who were younger, boys, and at lower grade showed higher guidelines adherence. PA was inversely associated with PBF, while screen time (ST) was positively associated with overweight/obesity risk and FFM. Sleep showed no association with any health indicators. Meeting the behavioral guidelines was associated with better weight status and lower PBF, yet not with FFM and SMM. Interventions to improve the Children’s weight status and PBF should involve enhancing their overall movement behaviors and considering their demographic differences. More research on examining the association of movement guidelines adherence with body composition indicators is needed.

Background: Fundamental motor skills (FMSs) are crucial for children’s health and comprehensive development. Obese children often encounter a considerable challenge in the development of FMSs. School-family blended PA programs are considered a potentially effective approach to improve FMSs and health-related outcomes among obese children, however, empirical evidence is still limited. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a 24-week school-family blended multi-component PA intervention program for promoting FMSs and health among Chinese obese children, namely the Fundamental Motor Skills Promotion Program for Obese Children (FMSPPOC) employing behavioral change techniques (BCTs) and building on the Multi-Process Action Control (M-PAC) framework as well as using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework for improving and evaluating the program. Methods: Using a cluster randomized controlled trial (CRCT), 168 Chinese obese children (8–12 years) from 24 classes of six primary schools will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups by a cluster randomization, including a 24-week FMSPPOC intervention group and a non-treatment waiting-list control group. The FMSPPOC program includes a 12-week initiation phase and a 12-week maintenance phase. School-based PA training sessions (2 sessions/week, 90 min each session) and family-based PA assignments (at least three times per week, 30 min each time) will be implemented in the initiation phase (semester time), while three 60-min offline workshops and three 60-min online webinars will be conducted in the maintenance phase (summer holiday). The implementation evaluation will be undertaken according to the RE-AIM framework. For intervention effectiveness evaluation, primary outcome (FMSs: gross motor skills, manual dexterity and balance) and secondary outcomes (health behaviors, physical fitness, perceived motor competence, perceived well-being, M-PAC components, anthropometric and body composition measures) will be collected at four time-points: at baseline, 12-week mid-intervention, 24-week post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up occasions. Discussion: The FMSPPOC program will provide new insights into the design, implementation, and evaluation of FMSs promotion among obese children. The research findings will also supplement empirical evidence, understanding of potential mechanisms, and practical experience for future research, health services, and policymaking. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; ChiCTR2200066143; 25 Nov 2022.

Aims: This study characterized (a) the cardiac troponin T (cTnT) response to three forms of acute high‐intensity interval exercise (HIE), and (b) the impact of 12 weeks of HIE training on the cTnT response to acute exercise in sedentary obese young women.Methods: Thirty‐six sedentary women were randomized to traditional HIE training (repeated 4‐minute cycling at 90% O_2max interspersed with 3‐minute rest, 200 kJ/session), work‐equivalent sprint interval exercise (SIE) training (repeated 1‐minute cycling at 120% O_2max interspersed with 1.5‐minute rest) or repeated‐sprint exercise (RSE) training (40 × 6‐second all‐out sprints interspersed with 9‐second rest) group. cTnT was assessed using a high‐sensitivity assay before and immediately, 3 and 4 hours after the 1st (PRE), 6th (EARLY), 20th (MID), and 44th (END) training session, respectively.Results: cTnT was elevated (P < 0.05) after all forms of acute interval exercise at the PRE and EARLY assessment with cTnT response higher (P < 0.05) after HIE (307%) and SIE (318%) than RSE (142%) at the PRE assessment. All forms of acute interval exercise at MID and END had no effect on the cohort cTnT concentration post‐exercise (all P > 0.05).Conclusion: For sedentary obese young women, both HIE and SIE, matched for total work, induced a similar elevation in cTnT after acute exercise with a smaller rise observed after RSE. By the 44th training session, almost no post‐exercise cTnT elevation was observed in all three groups. Such information is relevant for clinicians as it could improve medical decisionmaking.