ArticlePeerJ2026
Efficacy of four exercise modalities on body composition in overweight and obese university students: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Article in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The rising prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students constitutes a pressing public health concern; however, the differential effectiveness of various exercise interventions on body composition remains insufficiently characterized. Methods: This network meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of four exercise modalities-high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance exercise (RE), aerobic exercise (AE), and combined aerobic-resistance exercise (AE+RE)-on adiposity-related outcomes in overweight and obese university students. The primary outcomes assessed included body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP), body weight (BW), hip circumference (HC), waist circumference (WC), and body fat mass (BFM). We systematically searched the Data Knowledge Service Platform to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to July 1, 2025. Data on study characteristics, intervention details, and outcome measures were extracted, and statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16 software. A total of 39 RCTs involving 2,585 participants were included in the final analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, AE+RE emerged as the most effective intervention for improving BMI, BW, and BFM (mean difference (MD) = 2.57 , 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.82-3.32], Conclusions: These findings address the existing gap in knowledge regarding exercise efficacy for overweight and obese university students and provide a scientific foundation for the development of personalized public health strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.