Adherence-related Psycho-perceptual Responses To High-intensity Interval Training In Physically Inactive Middle-aged Adults

Abstract

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has recently been advocated as a time efficient alternative to traditional continuous exercise for combating physical inactivity related morbidities. Previous studies have demonstrated the physiological health benefits of HIIT, but relatively little is known about the adherence related psycho-perceptual responses to this form of exercise in physically inactive individuals. PURPOSE: To compare the adherence-related psycho-perceptual responses after a single session of HIIT versus moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) and vigorous-intensity continuous exercise (VICE) in physically inactive middle-aged adults. METHODS: Using a repeated measures randomized cross over design, twelve middle-aged apparently healthy physically inactive males (mean age: 46.8 ± 7.5 years; BMI: 23.4 ± 2.1 kg m-2; VO2max: 39.5 ± 5.6 mL kg-1 min-1) undertook three main trials (7-days apart) consisting of: HIIT (10 x 1-min run at 100% VO2max interspersed with 1-min active recovery at 50% VO2max), MICE (40-min run at 65% VO2max) and VICE (20-min run at 80% VO2max). Participants’ adherence-related psycho-perceptual responses including: (i) Self-efficacy assessed via a 5-item task-specific questionnaire; (ii) Perceived enjoyment responses measured via the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and (iii) exercise modality preference were assessed upon completion of the trials. [hg1] One-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to identify within-subject differences. Pairwise comparison was conducted with LSD corrections. RESULTS: There was a significant main effect between the trials. Participants displayed significantly lower exercise task self-efficacy scores towards HIIT (42.7 ± 25.3) and VICE (49.2 ± 23.9) than MICE (63.4 ± 18.3, both P < 0.01) based upon pairwise comparison. Additionally, only 17% of participants (2 out of 12) reported a preference to engage in HIIT as opposed to either MICE and VICE. No significant difference was found for perceived enjoyment responses between the trials. CONCLUSION: Our finding suggests that HIIT does not promote self-efficacy and may not be an adherable exercise strategy for health promotion in physically inactive middle-aged individuals. Future research examining the long-term adherence to HIIT in this population is warranted.