[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"trial:NCT07718113":3,"trial-entities:NCT07718113":143,"trial-summary:NCT07718113":147},{"id":4,"nct_id":4,"org_study_id":5,"brief_title":6,"official_title":7,"overall_status":8,"completion_date":9,"status_verified_date":10,"last_update_date":11,"start_date":12,"sponsor_name":13,"lead_sponsor_class":14,"has_dmc":15,"brief_summary":16,"detailed_description":17,"conditions":18,"keywords":22,"study_type":30,"primary_purpose":31,"phases":32,"enrollment_info":34,"interventions":37,"primary_outcomes":43,"secondary_outcomes":48,"sex":77,"minimum_age":78,"maximum_age":79,"healthy_volunteers":80,"eligibility_criteria":81,"std_ages":99,"locations":101,"central_contacts":123,"overall_officials":126,"references":128,"see_also_links":142},"NCT07718113","2026-33","Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health","Influence of Exercise Snacking on Cardiometabolic Health, Physical Activity, and Psychological Well-Being","RECRUITING","2027-12-31","2026-07","2026-07-23","2026-08-01","University of Wisconsin, River Falls","OTHER",false,"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.\n\nThis 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.\n\nThe 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","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.\n\nExercise 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThis 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",[19,20,21],"Physical Inactivity","Sedentary Behavior","Cardiometabolic Health",[23,24,25,26,27,28,29],"exercise snacking","physical activity","aerobic fitness","behavioral intervention","exercise motivation","physical activity maintenance","randomized controlled trial","INTERVENTIONAL","BASIC_SCIENCE",[33],"NA",{"count":35,"type":36},60,"ESTIMATED",[38],{"type":39,"name":40,"description":41,"armGroupLabels":42},"BEHAVIORAL","Exercise Snacking","Participants assigned to the intervention group will complete multiple brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout each day for 12 weeks. Each exercise snack will typically last approximately 1-3 minutes and may include activities such as stair climbing, brisk walking, repeated sit-to-stands, body-weight squats, or other moderate-to-vigorous activities that can be incorporated into daily routines. Participants will receive standardized written instructions, examples of exercise snacks, and periodic follow-up visits to monitor adherence and reinforce study procedures.",[40],[44],{"measure":45,"description":46,"timeFrame":47},"Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity","Average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured objectively using an accelerometer worn for seven consecutive days.","Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24",[49,53,56,59,62,65,68,71,74],{"measure":50,"description":51,"timeFrame":52},"Body Fat Percentage","Body composition measured using air displacement plethysmography (BodPod).","Baseline, Week 12, Week 24",{"measure":54,"description":55,"timeFrame":47},"Aerobic Fitness","Aerobic fitness assessed during a submaximal cycle ergometer exercise test with respiratory gas analysis using a metabolic measurement system.",{"measure":57,"description":58,"timeFrame":52},"Fasting Blood Glucose","Capillary fasting glucose measured using the Cholestech LDX analyzer.",{"measure":60,"description":61,"timeFrame":52},"Blood Lipid Profile","Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides measured from fasting capillary blood samples.",{"measure":63,"description":64,"timeFrame":52},"Exercise Motivation","Exercise motivation will be assessed using the 24-item Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-3 (BREQ-3). The questionnaire produces six subscale scores: amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic regulation. Each subscale is calculated as the mean of four items and ranges from 0 to 4. Higher scores indicate a greater degree of the corresponding type of exercise motivation; therefore, higher scores do not uniformly represent a better or worse outcome.",{"measure":66,"description":67,"timeFrame":52},"Psychological Well-Being","Psychological well-being will be assessed using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The five items are summed to produce a raw total score ranging from 0 to 25. Higher scores indicate better psychological well-being.",{"measure":69,"description":70,"timeFrame":52},"Depressive Symptoms","Depressive symptoms will be assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Items are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms and therefore a worse outcome.",{"measure":72,"description":73,"timeFrame":52},"Anxiety Symptoms","Anxiety symptoms will be assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Items are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms and therefore a worse outcome.",{"measure":75,"description":76,"timeFrame":52},"Perceived Stress","Perceived stress will be assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Items are summed after reverse-scoring the positively stated items, producing a total score ranging from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater perceived stress and therefore a worse outcome.","ALL","18 Years","60 Years",true,{"inclusion":82,"exclusion":89,"raw_text":98},[83,84,85,86,87,88],"Age 18-60 years.","Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg\u002Fm².","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.",[90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97],"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\u002Fminute at screening.","Resting blood pressure \\>160\u002F100 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.","Inclusion Criteria:\n\n* Age 18-60 years.\n* Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg\u002Fm².\n* Insufficiently physically active, defined as generally not meeting current physical activity guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.\n* 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.\n* Willing and able to provide written informed consent.\n* Willing to complete all study visits, wear activity monitors, and comply with study procedures.\n\nExclusion Criteria:\n\n* Known cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, orthopedic, or other medical conditions that would make participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity unsafe.\n* Resting heart rate \\>100 beats\u002Fminute at screening.\n* Resting blood pressure \\>160\u002F100 mmHg at screening.\n* Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities identified during screening that require medical evaluation.\n* Current participation in regular structured physical activity that meets or exceeds recommended physical activity guidelines.\n* Physical limitations or injuries that preclude safe participation in the intervention or fitness testing.\n* Moderate-to-severe psychological distress or other mental health concerns identified during screening that require referral or would make study participation inappropriate.\n* Pregnancy or any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsafe or interfere with completion of study procedures.",[100],"ADULT",[102],{"facility":103,"status":8,"city":104,"state":105,"zip":106,"country":107,"contacts":108,"geoPoint":120},"University of Wisconsin-River Falls","River Falls","Wisconsin","54022","United States",[109,114,118],{"name":110,"role":111,"phone":112,"email":113},"Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD","CONTACT","715-425-4945","gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu",{"name":115,"role":111,"phone":116,"email":117},"Ricky Lopez, MS","715-425-4138","ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu",{"name":110,"role":119},"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR",{"lat":121,"lon":122},44.86136,-92.62381,[124,125],{"name":110,"role":111,"phone":112,"email":113},{"name":115,"role":111,"phone":116,"email":117},[127],{"name":110,"affiliation":13,"role":119},[129,133,136,139],{"pmid":130,"type":131,"citation":132},"40814152","BACKGROUND","Wan KW, Dai ZH, Wong PS, Huang WY, Lei EF, Little JP, Lin FC, Tam BT. Effects of Exercise Snacks on Cardiometabolic Health and Body Composition in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2025 Aug;35(8):e70114. doi: 10.1111\u002Fsms.70114.",{"pmid":134,"type":131,"citation":135},"39649791","Wang T, Laher I, Li S. Exercise snacks and physical fitness in sedentary populations. Sports Med Health Sci. 2024 Feb 27;7(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016\u002Fj.smhs.2024.02.006. eCollection 2025 Jan.",{"pmid":137,"type":131,"citation":138},"38569204","Yin M, Deng S, Chen Z, Zhang B, Zheng H, Bai M, Li H, Zhang X, Deng J, Liu Q, Little JP, Li Y. Exercise snacks are a time-efficient alternative to moderate-intensity continuous training for improving cardiorespiratory fitness but not maximal fat oxidation in inactive adults: a randomized controlled trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2024 Jul 1;49(7):920-932. doi: 10.1139\u002Fapnm-2023-0593. Epub 2024 Apr 3.",{"pmid":140,"type":131,"citation":141},"30649897","Jenkins EM, Nairn LN, Skelly LE, Little JP, Gibala MJ. Do stair climbing exercise \"snacks\" improve cardiorespiratory fitness? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019 Jun;44(6):681-684. doi: 10.1139\u002Fapnm-2018-0675. Epub 2019 Jan 16.",[],{"nct_id":4,"conditions":144,"biomarkers":146},[145,20],"Inactivity",[],{"nct_id":4,"found":80,"summary":148,"prompt_version":156},{"design":149,"status":150,"heading":6,"summary":151,"follow_up":149,"word_count":152,"commitments":153,"compensation":154,"drugs_mentioned":155},"Not specified.","completed","{\n   \"Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health Study\",\n   \"This study is looking at whether \\\"exercise snacking\\\" can improve your health. Exercise snacking means doing several short bursts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (like brisk walking or stair climbing) throughout the day, each lasting about 1-3 minutes. We want to see if this approach, over 12 weeks, can help young adults who aren't very active to increase their physical activity levels, improve their fitness, and boost their overall heart and metabolic health. You might be able to join if you are 18-60 years old, have a BMI of 18.5 or higher, and don't currently meet physical activity guidelines. The study aims to see if this method helps people become more active.\",\n  \"design\": \"This is an interventional study with 60 participants. You would be randomly assigned to either the exercise snacking group or a group that continues their usual behavior.\",\n  \"commitments\": \"If you are in the exercise snacking group, you would complete multiple brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout each day for 12 weeks. Your physical activity will be measured at the beginning, at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks.\",\n  \"compensation\": \"Not stated in the trial record.\",\n  \"follow_up\": \"Your physical activity will be measured at 24 weeks, which is 12 weeks after the intervention ends.\",\n}",213,"Not specified in the trial record.","Not stated in the trial record.",[40],"v2"]