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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sports Med Int Open 2025; 09: a24939466
DOI: 10.1055/a-2493-9466
Training & Testing

High Intensity Interval Training and Arterial Hypertension: Quality of Reporting

Claudia Bünzen
1   Institute of Sport Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
,
Kaija Oberbeck
1   Institute of Sport Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
,
Sascha Ketelhut
2   Institute of Sports Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
,
Burkhard Weisser
1   Institute of Sport Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Funding Information Land Schleswig-Holstein/funding programme Open Access Publikationsfonds
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Abstract

The benefits of exercise have been well described for the treatment of hypertension. Poor reporting quality impairs quality appraisal and replicability. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to be an effective alternative to traditional aerobic exercise in patients with hypertension. We evaluated the completeness of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with HIIT for hypertension and to compare both exercise modes in reporting quality. RCTs of HIIT with a minimum duration of 6 weeks in adults with at least high normal blood pressure (≥130 mmHg/≥85 mmHg) were evaluated using the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT). Nine RCTs conducting HIIT in hypertensive patients (N=718; 51.8 years) were evaluated. A mean of 62.6% of items were sufficiently described, compared with 49.2% in moderate intensity training interventions. Exercise dose was adequately reported in 8 out of 9 studies. Only one study reported information on adverse events. In a small sample of RCTs with HIIT in patients with hypertension we found a better reporting quality than in moderate intensity training interventions. However, reporting completeness is not optimal for a good replicability in clinical practice. The lack of reporting of adverse events in interventions using high intensities is particularly unfavourable.

Keywords

reporting quality - clinical practice - CERT checklist - interval training - high blood pressure

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 11 September 2024
Received: 04 November 2024

Accepted: 10 November 2024

Article published online:
12 February 2025

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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Bibliographical Record
Claudia Bünzen, Kaija Oberbeck, Sascha Ketelhut, Burkhard Weisser. High Intensity Interval Training and Arterial Hypertension: Quality of Reporting. Sports Med Int Open 2025; 09: a24939466.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2493-9466
 

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