Evaluating the effect of a 6-week progressive running interval training program on endurance and body mass index in overweight college students

Background and Study Aim. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students has emerged as a notable public health concern. This trend is exacerbated by sedentary academic settings and a lack of time-efficient fitness programs. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-week progressive running interval training (PRIT) program on endurance and body mass index (BMI) among overweight college students. Materials and Methods. A total of 30 students (BMI ≥ 25), aged 18–21 years, were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 15), which engaged in thrice-weekly PRIT sessions supplemented with strength-endurance circuits, or a control group (n = 15), which did not participate in any organized physical training. Statistical analyses included paired and independent samples t-tests. The significance threshold was established at p < .05. Results. Post-test results demonstrated a significant increase in the training group across all assessed variables. Improvements in upper body, lower body, and core endurance were all statistically significant (p < .001). Moreover, a significant decrease in BMI was observed (p < .001). The control group showed minimal changes. These findings confirm the effectiveness of PRIT in improving endurance and reducing BMI within a brief intervention period. Conclusions. The results confirm the efficacy of the progressive running interval training (PRIT) program in enhancing endurance and reducing BMI over a short intervention period. This supports the integration of scalable, evidence-based interval training into campus wellness programs to improve student health, physical performance, and academic outcomes.