Research on the Effect of TABATA High-Efficiency Fat-Burning Training on Improving the Health of Obese College Students

Abstract

The period from 2024 to 2027 has been officially designated as the “Global Weight Management Year” by the World Health Organization (WHO), marking that weight management has become a top priority in the global public health field ^[1]. On March 9, 2025, at a press conference during the Third Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, stated that China will continue to advance actions during the Weight Management Year, calling on the whole nation to scientifically manage weight, develop good living habits, and jointly embrace a new healthy life. During the 2025 Two Sessions, Director Lei Haichao spent 7 minutes specifically explaining the urgency of weight management: obesity has become an increasingly severe health problem nationwide and a key threat to human health. The overweight rate among Chinese adults reaches 34.3%, and the obesity rate among adolescents is nearly 20%. Obesity has become a core trigger for chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Under the advocacy of the “Weight Management Year,” more and more people are paying attention to the relationship between weight and health. However, weight management is not just about diet and exercise but also a long-term balance of psychology and behavior. Many focus on diet control and exercise but often overlook a key factor - psychology. In fact, there is a close connection between weight management and mental health, which influence and interact with each other, jointly shaping our physical condition and quality of life. Health should be discussed comprehensively in terms of physical health, mental health, and good social adaptability, rather than just pursuing a normal BMI range. In recent years, TABATA high-efficiency fat-burning training has gained increasing attention among young people. Previous studies have shown that TABATA training has significant effects on physical health indicators. This study recruited 26 obese college students (BMI > 25) as research subjects and conducted a 12-week exercise intervention experiment of TABATA high-efficiency fat-burning training, guided by coaches. Each session included a 5–10-minute warm-up, progressive-intensity continuous training, and a 10–15-minute cool-down. Using a within-subject pre-post control design, the study tested 9 mental health indicators of obese college students through psychological scales to provide new perspectives for future physical education curriculum development and offer directions and paths for improving the health-related physical fitness of obese college students in colleges and universities. After 12 weeks of TABATA training, significant changes were observed in somatization, obsessive-compulsive behavior, interpersonal communication, depressive symptoms, anxiety, hostility, fear, paranoia, and psychotic symptoms compared with pre-intervention levels. Both males and females showed significant changes in expressiveness and anxiety.