Summary: In a randomised trial in overweight and obese adolescents, a 12-week interval jump rope programme added to school PE classes improved body composition, fitness, and glucose and lipid markers compared with no training, with the longer-interval format producing slightly greater weight reduction.
PICO Summary
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Population | 120 adolescents aged 10–13 with overweight/obesity (mean BMI 24.7); randomised controlled trial, China. |
| Intervention | Interval jump rope in PE class, 3×/week for 12 weeks, in short-work (JRE-1, n=40) or long-work (JRE-2, n=40) formats. |
| Comparison | No-training control (n=40). |
| Outcome | Both jump rope groups improved body mass, BMI, body-fat percentage, cardiorespiratory fitness, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and triglycerides (p<0.05). LDL-C fell only in JRE-2. Body mass and BMI fell more in JRE-2 than JRE-1, but fitness and glycolipid measures did not differ significantly between the two exercise formats. |
School interval jump rope in overweight teens
RCT · overweight/obese adolescents · 12 weeks
A 12-week school jump rope programme cut body mass, BMI and body fat and improved fasting glucose, insulin and triglycerides versus no training. The longer-work format gave slightly greater weight loss but no broad superiority.
Expert Commentary
This is a pragmatic and appealing trial because it tackles paediatric obesity, a major driver of future type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, using an intervention that is almost free, needs little space, and fits inside existing school time. The results are coherent and the most clinically reassuring finding is metabolic rather than cosmetic: improvements in fasting glucose, insulin, and triglycerides accompanied the body-composition changes, reinforcing that exercise benefits metabolism through better insulin signalling and not merely weight loss. The comparison of interval formats is a practical bonus, showing flexibility in design, with the longer-work format giving somewhat greater weight reduction but no broad superiority. I would keep the limits in view, a twelve-week single-school study with uncontrolled diet and no long-term follow-up, so sustainability and the independent contribution of any dietary change are unknown, and the population is adolescents rather than established diabetes. Can I use this with my patients? Yes, as everyday counselling. For overweight youth, jump rope is a cheap, accessible, weather-independent option I can recommend to families and schools, framed as part of comprehensive lifestyle change with attention to footwear, surface, and gradual progression to avoid injury.
References
Shao S, Cao M. Integrating interval jump rope exercise into a school setting improve body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and glycolipid metabolism parameters in adolescents with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pediatr. 2025;25(1):945. doi:10.1186/s12887-025-06320-1