Shenzhen University
Yuhang Gao
School-based exercise interventions for pediatric obesity and youth health promotion.
Research interests include HIIT, sprint-interval training, concurrent training, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and real-world school-based interventions in children and adolescents.
Publications
Selected Research
iScience · 2026
Weekly Frequency of School-Based HIIT Improves Adiposity and Fitness in Children with Obesity
Randomized controlled trial examining dose-response effects of weekly HIIT frequency on adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children with obesity under real school PE settings.
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115715 ↗Scientific Reports · 2025
Effects of School-Based Concurrent Training on Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Obese Children
School-based concurrent training intervention evaluating body composition and cardiorespiratory adaptations in youth with obesity.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-19041-3 ↗iScience · Under Pre-Acceptance
Exercise Order in School-Based Concurrent Training for Adolescents with Obesity
Randomized controlled trial investigating whether within-session exercise order influences cardiorespiratory fitness and health-related adaptations.
Research Projects
Field-based trials in real school settings.
#1 · Published
School-Based HIIT Frequency Trial
A randomized trial examining weekly HIIT frequency, adiposity, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and selected health outcomes in children with obesity under real physical education constraints.
#2 · Published
School-Based Concurrent Training Trial
A school-based concurrent training intervention evaluating body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness adaptations in youth with obesity.
#3 · Pre-acceptance
Concurrent Training Order Trial
A randomized trial investigating whether the within-session order of bodyweight resistance exercise and sprint-interval training influences adaptations in adolescents with obesity.
#4 · In preparation
HIIT Dose–Response Pilot RCT
Dose–response effects of weekly HIIT frequency on metabolic, bone, and fitness adaptations in obese adolescents, including blood-based indicators and health-related outcomes.
#5 · Protocol
School-Based Exercise Intervention Protocol
A planned protocol manuscript outlining the design, rationale, implementation procedures, and outcome assessment strategy for school-compatible exercise interventions.
#6 · Meta-analysis
Exercise Interventions for Pediatric Obesity
A meta-analysis project examining the effects of structured exercise interventions on adiposity, fitness, and health-related outcomes in children and adolescents with obesity.
Additional completed datasets
Pom Cheerleading Intervention
Completed school-based intervention dataset examining physical fitness and affective responses in adolescent girls.
High-Intensity Functional Training and Basketball Performance
Completed dataset evaluating lower-limb strength and basketball-related performance in junior high school students.
Conferences
Academic presentations across international and national platforms.
ACSM 2026 · Oral Presentation
Dose-Response of Weekly High-Intensity Interval Training Frequency on Adiposity and VO₂max in Children with Obesity: A Randomized Trial
American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Salt Lake City, United States
ECSS 2026 · Poster Presentation
Dose–Response Effects of Weekly HIIT Frequency on Metabolic, Bone, and Fitness Adaptations in Obese Adolescents: A 12-Week Pilot RCT
European College of Sport Science Annual Congress
Lausanne, Switzerland
National Sports Science Congress 2025 · Poster Presentation
Effects of Two SIT-Centered Concurrent Training Programs in a School Setting on Health Indicators in Children with Obesity
14th National Sports Science Congress of China
Wuhan, China
ICSPAH 2024 · Oral Presentation
The Effects of School-Based Concurrent Training on Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Obese Children
International Chinese Society for Physical Activities and Health Annual Conference
Beijing, China
Timeline
From field trials to international research training.
2019–2023
Undergraduate training in sports science and law
Completed undergraduate training in social sports guidance and management, while pursuing a second degree in law and developing early research and leadership experience.
2023–2026
Master's research at Shenzhen University
Focused on school-based exercise interventions for pediatric obesity, with experience in randomized trials, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and reviewer responses.
2025–2026
Publications and international conference presentations
Published or accepted first-author studies in Scientific Reports and iScience, with accepted presentations at ACSM, ECSS, ICSPAH, and the National Sports Science Congress of China.
Next step
Doctoral training in public health and exercise science
Preparing for doctoral applications focused on physical activity, pediatric obesity, school health, public health, and scalable exercise intervention strategies.
Research Statement
Building scalable school-based exercise strategies for youth health.
Future Direction
I aim to develop feasible, low-equipment, and scalable physical activity interventions that can be integrated into real school and community settings.
My current research focuses on school-based exercise interventions for children and adolescents with obesity, particularly high-intensity interval training, sprint-interval training, and concurrent training models implemented within real physical education environments.
Moving forward, I hope to connect exercise science with public health, school health, behavioral intervention, and implementation science. My long-term interest is not only whether an intervention works, but also how it can be delivered safely, sustainably, and equitably in schools and communities.
During doctoral training, I plan to strengthen my methodological foundation in intervention design, biostatistics, longitudinal analysis, and public health research, while continuing to build a focused research agenda around pediatric obesity and youth physical activity promotion.
About
Research at the intersection of exercise science and school health.
I am a master's student in Physical Education at Shenzhen University, focusing on school-based exercise interventions for children and adolescents with obesity. My work examines how high-intensity interval training, sprint-interval training, and concurrent training can be implemented within real physical education settings to improve adiposity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and youth health outcomes.
Across my current projects, I have been involved in randomized controlled trials, intervention delivery, participant testing, adherence monitoring, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and reviewer responses.
Contact
Let's connect.
I am open to academic conversations related to pediatric obesity, school-based physical activity interventions, exercise prescription, and public health approaches to youth health promotion.
Email: yuhang3688@gmail.com
Affiliation: Shenzhen University, Master of Education in Physical Education