Palabras clave
High-intensity interval training
Mental health
Youth Ejercicio
Entrenamiento interválico de alta intensidad
Salud mental
Jóvenes
Cómo citar
Resumen
Antecedentes: Ante la creciente inactividad física y los problemas de salud mental, las intervenciones eficientes en
tiempo, como el entrenamiento interválico de alta intensidad (HIIT), requieren una evaluación rigurosa. Esta revisión
sistemática y metaanálisis sintetizó la evidencia sobre los efectos del HIIT en la salud mental de adolescentes y adultos
jóvenes. Método: Se realizaron búsquedas sistemáticas en seis bases de datos electrónicas hasta septiembre de 2025
para identificar ensayos controlados aleatorizados que compararon HIIT (≥85% de la frecuencia cardíaca máxima)
con un grupo control pasivo en poblaciones no clínicas de entre 11 y 29 años. Resultados: Se incluyeron 11 estudios
con 1,401 participantes. El metaanálisis con modelos de efectos aleatorios mostró una reducción modesta del estrés
percibido a favor del HIIT (DME = −0.29; IC del 95%: −0.59 a 0.004; p = .053), sin alcanzar la significación estadística
convencional y con elevada incertidumbre. No se observaron efectos significativos sobre síntomas depresivos, ansiedad
ni bienestar psicológico. Conclusiones: HIIT podría asociarse con reducciones modestas del estrés percibido; sin
embargo, la certeza de la evidencia fue baja a muy baja. Se requieren estudios de mayor calidad para clarificar sus
efectos sobre la salud mental.
Citas
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