Influence of Exercise Snacking on Cardiometabolic Health, Physical Activity, and Psychological Well-Being
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 60
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity
研究概览
简要总结
Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, yet many young adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Exercise snacking, which involves performing brief bouts of physical activity throughout the day, may provide a practical alternative to traditional exercise programs by making physical activity easier to incorporate into daily routines.
This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether a 12-week exercise snacking intervention improves physical activity levels, aerobic fitness, cardiometabolic health, and psychological well-being in insufficiently active young adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an exercise snacking intervention or a usual behavior control group. Assessments will be completed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention, and after an additional 12-week follow-up period to determine whether any changes are maintained after the intervention ends.
The study will measure physical activity using wearable activity monitors and assess aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose, exercise motivation, affective responses to exercise, and mental well-being. The findings will help determine whether exercise snacking is an effective and sustainable strategy for improving health in young adults and may inform future physical activity recommendations and interventions
详细描述
Regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions. Despite these well-established benefits, many young adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Commonly reported barriers include limited time, competing academic or work demands, and difficulty maintaining structured exercise programs.
Exercise snacking, defined as accumulating multiple brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout the day, has emerged as a potential strategy for increasing physical activity while minimizing many of the barriers associated with traditional exercise programs. Although short bouts of physical activity have demonstrated favorable acute physiological effects, relatively few randomized controlled trials have evaluated whether exercise snacking produces sustained improvements in objectively measured physical activity, physical fitness, cardiometabolic health, and psychological outcomes in free-living young adults.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a 12-week exercise snacking intervention improves physical activity behavior, aerobic fitness, cardiometabolic health, exercise motivation, affective responses to physical activity, and psychological well-being compared with a usual behavior control group. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an exercise snacking intervention or a control condition. Following completion of the intervention, participants will be observed for an additional 12 weeks to evaluate the maintenance of behavioral and physiological changes after structured support is withdrawn.
The primary objectives are to determine whether exercise snacking increases objectively measured physical activity and improves aerobic fitness. Secondary objectives are to evaluate changes in body composition, blood pressure, fasting cardiometabolic biomarkers, exercise motivation, affective responses to exercise, and psychological well-being. Exploratory analyses will examine whether changes in motivation and affective responses are associated with long-term maintenance of physical activity during the follow-up period.
This study will contribute to the growing evidence regarding practical, scalable approaches for increasing physical activity among young adults and may help inform future lifestyle interventions and public health recommendations aimed at promoting long-term engagement in regular physical activity
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Basic Science
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 60 Years（Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Age 18-60 years.
- •Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg/m².
- •Insufficiently physically active, defined as generally not meeting current physical activity guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
- •Able to safely participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as determined by study screening procedures, including completion of the Physical - Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) and health history review.
- •Willing and able to provide written informed consent.
- •Willing to complete all study visits, wear activity monitors, and comply with study procedures.
排除标准
- •Known cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, orthopedic, or other medical conditions that would make participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity unsafe.
- •Resting heart rate >100 beats/minute at screening.
- •Resting blood pressure >160/100 mmHg at screening.
- •Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities identified during screening that require medical evaluation.
- •Current participation in regular structured physical activity that meets or exceeds recommended physical activity guidelines.
- •Physical limitations or injuries that preclude safe participation in the intervention or fitness testing.
- •Moderate-to-severe psychological distress or other mental health concerns identified during screening that require referral or would make study participation inappropriate.
- •Pregnancy or any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsafe or interfere with completion of study procedures.
研究组 & 干预措施
Usual Behavior Control
Participants assigned to the control group will continue their usual daily activities for 12 weeks and will not receive instruction regarding exercise snacking or any structured physical activity program during the intervention period. They will complete the same outcome assessments as participants in the intervention group.
Exercise Snacking
Participants assigned to the exercise snacking group will complete a 12-week intervention consisting of multiple brief bouts (approximately 1-3 minutes each) of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity performed throughout the day. Participants will receive written instructions, examples of appropriate exercise snacks, and periodic check-ins to support adherence. The intervention is designed to increase daily physical activity by integrating short bouts of exercise into normal daily routines.
干预措施: Exercise Snacking (Behavioral)
结局指标
主要结局
Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity
时间窗: Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24
Average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured objectively using an accelerometer worn for seven consecutive days.
次要结局
- Body Fat Percentage(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Aerobic Fitness(Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24)
- Fasting Blood Glucose(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Blood Lipid Profile(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Exercise Motivation(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Psychological Well-Being(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Depressive Symptoms(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Anxiety Symptoms(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
- Perceived Stress(Baseline, Week 12, Week 24)
研究者
Gregory Ruegsegger
Professor
University of Wisconsin, River Falls