Effects of 8 months of high-intensity interval training on physical fitness and health-related quality of life in substance use disorder

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 months of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on physical fitness and health-related quality of life in substance use disorder. METHODS: Sixty substance use disorder were randomly assigned to either the HIIT group or the control group according to a random sampling method. The HIIT group received 8 months of four 60-min sessions per week under supervision. Weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, heart rate, blood pressure, VO2max, reaction time, grip strength, standing on one foot with eyes closed, sitting forward flexion, and quadrant jumping, standing on one foot with eyes closed, the number of push-ups, quality of life (SF-36) score, and craving (VAS) scored were monitored in the HIIT and control groups at baseline, 4 months, and 8 months. SPSS 22.0 was used to conduct repeated measurement analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis on the collected subject data. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, weight (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.001), body fat percentage (p < 0.001), heart rate (p < 0.05), Systolic blood pressure (p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05), reaction time (p < 0.001),PSQI (p < 0.001), Total cholesterol (p < 0.001), Triglyceride (p < 0.001), Blood sugar (p < 0.001) and VAS score (p < 0.001) were significantly decreased after 8 months of exercise intervention. Contrastingly, VO2max (p < 0.05), grip strength (p < 0.05), eyes closed and one foot Standing (p < 0.001), sitting forward flexion (p < 0.001), quadrant jumping (p < 0.001), push-ups (p < 0.001), PCS (p < 0.001), and MCS (p < 0.001) were significantly increased. VO2max was significantly negatively correlated with VAS (r = −0.434, p < 0.001), and significantly positively correlated with PCS (r = 0.425, p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between standing on one foot with closed eyes and MCS (r = 0.283, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Eight months of HIIT can comprehensively improve the physical health level and health-related quality of life of men with substance use disorders, reduce the desire for drugs, and lay the foundation for better starting a happy life.