Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-60
SponsorUniversity of Wisconsin, River Falls
About this trial
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
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
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.
Disqualifiers
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.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Exercise Snacking
BehavioralParticipants 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.
Treatment groups
60 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Exercise SnackingExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Usual Behavior ControlNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity
Average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured objectively using an accelerometer worn for seven consecutive days.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24Secondary outcomes
1
Body Fat Percentage
Body composition measured using air displacement plethysmography (BodPod).
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 242
Aerobic Fitness
Aerobic fitness assessed during a submaximal cycle ergometer exercise test with respiratory gas analysis using a metabolic measurement system.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, and Week 243
Fasting Blood Glucose
Capillary fasting glucose measured using the Cholestech LDX analyzer.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 244
Blood Lipid Profile
Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides measured from fasting capillary blood samples.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 24Other outcomes
1
Everyday Cognitive Failures
Everyday cognitive failures will be assessed using the 25-item Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Items are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate a greater frequency of everyday cognitive failures and therefore a worse outcome.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 242
Exercise-Related Affective Valence
Exercise-related affective valence will be assessed using the single-item Feeling Scale. Responses range from -5 ("very bad") to +5 ("very good"), with 0 representing "neutral." Higher scores indicate more positive affective valence and therefore a better outcome.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 243
Academic engagement (UWES-S)
Academic engagement will be assessed using the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S-9), which measures vigor, dedication, and absorption in academic activities. Each item is scored from 0 ("never") to 6 ("always/every day"). Higher scores indicate greater academic engagement and therefore a better outcome.
Time frame
Baseline, Week 12, Week 24Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov