Clinical Research Directory

Community Park-Based Programs for Health Promotion: Active Older Adults Prospective Cohort Study

The Active Older Adults prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based fitness program on cardiovascular fitness outcomes for older adults (aged 50 years and older). Duke will perform a secondary analysis of the data collected as part of the Active Older Adults prospective cohort study run by Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation.

Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Different Standing Intervals on Vascular Health in Women

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with different standing intervals on vascular health in healthy women aged 18-45 years. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does interrupting prolonged sitting with short standing intervals (10 minutes every hour) improve blood pressure and pulse wave velocity more than prolonged continuous standing intervals (30 minutes every hour)? Does interrupting prolonged sitting with prolonged intermittent standing intervals (30 minutes every hour divided into three 10-minute standing bouts) improve blood pressure and pulse wave velocity more than prolonged continuous standing intervals (30 minutes every hour)? The researcher will compare three different sitting interruption conditions to evaluate their effects on vascular health outcomes: Standing for 10 minutes every hour. Continuous standing for 30 minutes every hour. Intermittent standing for 30 minutes every hour divided into three 10-minute standing bouts. Participants will: Attend three experimental sessions in random order separated by at least 7 days. Complete 3 hours of sitting with different standing interruption protocols. Undergo measurements of blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and heart rate before sitting and after each hour of the experiment. Undergo height, weight, and body mass index measurements.

Wakaya: Rising Up for Choctaw Youth Health

Investigators will conduct a two-group randomized waitlist-control trial to assess the efficacy of the Wakaya: Rising Up for Choctaw Youth Health program on improving physical activity, reducing sedentary behaviors and improving healthful eating habits as well as delaying or reducing alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. Wakaya is an experiential, outdoor, nature-based program grounded in Choctaw values. It is a multi-level intervention that increases individual motivation and leadership skills to make healthy behavioral choices for behavior and exercise.

An Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behavior and Promote Physical Activity in Colorectal Cancer Chemotherapy

This single-group feasibility study develops and evaluates an intervention designed to reduce sedentary behavior and promote physical activity in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, treatment-related symptoms such as fatigue often lead to reduced physical activity and prolonged sitting time. Replacing sedentary time with light-intensity movement is associated with improved metabolic outcomes and a lower risk of several chronic conditions, including cancer. The intervention is developed using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) model and the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW), and is delivered over 3 weeks using a smartwatch. It comprises smartwatch-based prompts to interrupt prolonged sitting, symptom assessment and symptom-management education, and feedback on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Sedentary behavior and physical activity are measured objectively by smartwatch continuously before, during, and after the 3-week intervention. The primary aim is to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention across the domains of acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality. Secondary aims explore preliminary changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior, symptoms, health-related quality of life, and self-efficacy to reduce sedentary behavior. The findings are intended to inform the development of future interventions and nursing care to support health management in patients with cancer.

Sitting Interruption and Whole-body Cardiovascular Health

There is strong evidence for the association between sedentary behaviors and cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. However, the public currently has no clear guidance on how to limit or interrupt their sedentary behaviors. This study will identify and test the physiological effects of several sedentary behavior interruption strategies and explore the feasibility (i.e., likelihood of an individual performing the requested activities) of those strategies to inform the development of public policy surrounding sedentary behavior interruption. Long-term, the findings of this study will inform a large clinical trial that can test whether sedentary behavior reduction can decrease cardiovascular disease risk.

Promoting Physical Activity in Older Hispanic/Latino(a) Adults

In this randomized controlled trial, study staff will randomize 130 Hispanic/Latino adults without dementia and over age 55 from Southern California and from Kaiser Permanente Washington (State) to either the culturally adapted De Pie physical activity intervention or an active comparison program focusing on general brain health topics. The purpose of this study is to determine if 12 weeks of the culturally adapted and fully remote De Pie y a Movernos intervention improves self-efficacy, habit strength, social support, and enjoyment for physical activity (PA), thus promoting adherence to moderate-intensity physical activity (MIPA) guidelines (150 minutes/week).

Effects of a Sedentary Behaviors at Work on Health in Emergency Medical Dispatchers and CODIS Operators (SECODIS)

The purpose of the study is to study changes in sedentary behavior following a behavioral intervention (sit-and-stand desk, and cycloergometer)

The prEgnanCy and eArly Childhood nutrItion triaL (ECAIL)

The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial among 800 socially disadvantaged pregnant women and their families to test the effectiveness of a multi-component home visitation nutrition program, compared to usual care, in promoting healthy feeding practices, lifestyle behaviors and growth in young children.

The Effect of Aerobic and Resistance Training on the Immune System

Six-week exercise interventions in sedentary young women demonstrated that aerobic exercise and resistance exercise differentially optimize inflammatory and immune responses through their effects on osteocalcin and IgM, and IgA, respectively. These distinct effects of exercise modality on immune biomarkers can be utilized to design personalized exercise programs.

Brief Training Program for General Practitioners on Malnutrition and Adapted Physical Activity

This randomized, parallel-group interventional study evaluated the impact of brief targeted training on general practitioners' knowledge and professional practices regarding malnutrition and adapted physical activity (APA). Final-year GP residents and practicing GPs in the Pays de la Loire region were randomly assigned to either a malnutrition training group or an APA training group. Each group served as an active control for the topic not received. Knowledge and self-reported practices were assessed using an online questionnaire before and one month after training.

Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Physical Activity During Pregnancy

Pregnant women are more sedentary (sit, recline, lie down more) on average than non-pregnant women (more than 12 versus less than 8 waking sedentary hours/day). Sedentary behavior has been related to psychological distress, pregnancy weight gain, impaired sleep and very large size infants, while adequate physical activity has been found to improve mental health, decrease risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy and lower risk of preterm birth infants (less than 37 weeks gestation). Decreased sedentary behavior and increased physical activity may be crucial and neglected lifestyle behavior changes that can be promoted to reduce these and other maternal health and birth outcome problems among pregnant women.

Effects of a Wearable Postural Feedback Device on Scapular Muscle Endurance, Trunk Proprioception and Postural Awareness in Sedentary Office Workers

This study aims to investigate the effects of a wearable postural feedback device on scapular muscle endurance, trunk proprioception, thoracic kyphosis angle, and postural awareness in sedentary office workers. A total of 70 sedentary office workers aged 25-45 years will be randomly allocated to either the wearable postural feedback device group or the control group using block randomization. Participants in the intervention group will use the wearable postural feedback device for 12 weeks (5 days per week, 60 minutes per day), while the control group will maintain their usual working routine without receiving any intervention. Outcome assessments will be performed at baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and at the end of a 4-week follow-up period (Week 16). The primary outcome measures are scapular muscle endurance, trunk proprioception, thoracic kyphosis angle, and postural awareness. The primary research question is whether the use of a wearable postural feedback device improves these outcomes in sedentary office workers compared with no intervention. It is hypothesized that participants using the wearable postural feedback device will demonstrate greater improvements in scapular muscle endurance, trunk proprioception, thoracic kyphosis angle, and postural awareness than those in the control group.

Families Implementing Good Health Traditions for Life

This study will provide evidence for the utility of using a community-engaged research approach to implement a tailored, family-oriented adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program that will have positive effects on risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality among Black families in a Southwest Georgia community.

B4B Evolution Type II Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial

Break4Brain Evolution is a school-based programme designed to help teachers incorporate brief, safe and inclusive movement activities into normal classroom routines. The study aims to examine both how the programme is adopted and delivered in real-world schools and whether it improves students' physical activity, attention, executive functions and academic achievement. This is a type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness study with two complementary components. The implementation component will examine the scale-up of Break4Brain Evolution across at least 50 preschool, primary and secondary schools in the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain. Information from school leaders, teachers and students will be used to assess programme reach, adoption, acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, fidelity, adaptations and maintenance. The effectiveness component is an embedded cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in six primary schools in Mallorca. Schools will be randomly allocated to either the Break4Brain Evolution programme or usual school practice, with three schools in each group. Two classrooms from each school, one grade 5 and one grade 6 classroom, will participate, resulting in an estimated sample of 300 students. Baseline assessments will be conducted in September 2026. Schools allocated to the intervention group will begin implementing Break4Brain Evolution in October 2026 and will use the programme during the academic year. Follow-up assessments will be conducted in February 2027, June 2027 and December 2027.

Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health

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

Effects of "Weekend Warrior" Exercise on Muscle Strength and Cardiorespiratory Finess in Sedentary Female University Students

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a weekend warrior exercise pattern on muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in sedentary female university students. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either a weekend warrior group or a regular exercise group. Both groups completed 150 minutes of moderate-intensity jogging and resistance exercise per week for 8 weeks, but the weekly exercise sessions were distributed differently. Body composition, functional muscular performance, and aerobic capacity were assessed before and after the intervention.

Social Determinants of Sleep and Obesity

African American adults sleep less and obtain worse quality sleep compared to the national average, and emerging evidence links inadequate sleep with greater morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. To address this public health concern, the proposed research seeks to use a multi-method approach to adapt a sleep intervention for African American adults with overweight/obesity not meeting national sleep duration or physical activity recommendations. The overall goal of the project is to reduce cancer and obesity-related health disparities among African Americans.

Weekend Warrior Exercise in Sedentary Female University Students

This single-center, single-blind, three-arm randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of weekend-concentrated exercise, regularly distributed exercise, and usual lifestyle on aerobic capacity and skeletal muscle strength in sedentary female university students. Sixty participants aged 18 to 25 years will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to a weekend warrior group, a regular exercise group, or a control group. The intervention will last 8 weeks. Both exercise groups will complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, combining resistance exercise and jogging, but the exercise sessions will be distributed differently across the week. The control group will maintain its usual lifestyle without receiving the prescribed exercise intervention. The primary outcomes are peak oxygen uptake and isokinetic peak torque. Secondary outcomes include body composition, maximal heart rate, maximal power and time to exhaustion, 12-minute run performance, isokinetic mean torque, physical activity, sleep quality, exercise self-efficacy, emotional status, cognitive function, adherence, feasibility, and exercise-related adverse events.

Hamstring Tightness and Lumbar Lordosis Angel Across Functional Sitting Posture.

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the relationship between hamstring tightness and the lumbar lordosis angle in sedentary adults across different sitting postures. The main question it aims to answer is: Is hamstring tightness related to the lumbar lordosis angle across three functional sitting postures (upright, slumped, and forward-leaning)? It also asks whether hamstring tightness differs between men and women, whether it differs between the dominant and non-dominant leg, and whether the lumbar lordosis angle differs between men and women across the three postures. Participants will have their hamstring tightness measured with the Active Knee Extension test and their lumbar lordosis angle measured with a bubble inclinometer while sitting in each of the three postures.

Increasing Physical Activity Through Social Support and Stress Resilience

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn the effects of technology enhancements when combined with basic education, goal-setting, and self-monitoring to increase physical activity among older adults living alone, experiencing subjective cognitive decline, and currently engaging minimal physical activity (60 minutes or less of moderate to vigorous physical activity). Further, we will examine key psychosocial mechanisms believed to contribute to successful promotion of physical activity, which include social support and stress resilience. The primary questions are to determine whether * the tech-enhanced condition lead to greater physical activity over time? * the tech-enhanced condition lead to social support and stress resilience over time? * social support and stress resilience mediate the relationship between the study condition and physical activity? All participants will engage in self-monitoring of physical activity, will receive weekly text reminders of their physical activity goals for the week, and will receive basic education about the importance of physical activity, social support, and stress resilience for cognitive, physical, and psychological health. Participants in the tech-enhanced condition will also receive access to a study-specific website and virtual coaching to reinforce the information presented. Researchers will then compare the tech-enhanced condition to the basic education condition to determine the benefits of technology to deliver the intervention materials in order to increase physical activity, social support, and stress resilience. Participants will: * Use a Garmin wearable device to monitor their physical activity * Be randomly assigned to a basic education condition or tech-enhanced condition * Set achievable goals for weekly physical activity, with incremental increases to achieve 7000 average daily steps by the end of the study * Respond to surveys to monitor their social support, stress resilience, quality of life, and depression. The sample has several risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: low physical activity, social isolation risk via living alone, and subjective cognitive impairment. Therefore, a long-term goal includes the determination of the intervention's effectiveness at increasing physical activity, social support, and stress resilience to reduce risk for developing dementia.

Multidisciplinary Health Monitoring for Esports Players

This study aims to develop a holistic, multidisciplinary health monitoring/screening module that evaluates the health and performance parameters of esports players, and to apply and assess the effectiveness of an individualized multidisciplinary preventive intervention program (PIP) based on the screening findings. Esports players are frequently exposed to prolonged sitting, repetitive movements, high screen time, and irregular lifestyle habits, which can lead to musculoskeletal problems, visual strain, increased cardiovascular load, sleep disturbances, and psychological effects. Comprehensive, systematic, and multidisciplinary screening models addressing these risks remain limited in the literature. Amateur and/or professional players from the Yeditepe University Esports Club will undergo a multidimensional baseline assessment covering cardiovascular and respiratory parameters, musculoskeletal analysis, visual strain, nutritional status, cognitive function, and mental status. Participants will then be allocated to a control group or an intervention group. The intervention group will complete a 12-week individualized preventive exercise protocol in addition to their usual training, while the control group continues their usual training routine. All measurements will be repeated after 12 weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Effects of Multi-day Interruptions in Sitting on Type 2 Diabetes-relevant Outcomes in Children

The overall objective of this in-lab randomized controlled trial is to test the efficacy of multi-day interruptions in sedentary behavior vs. single bouts of sustained exercise on metabolic, cognitive, affective, and cardiac autonomic nervous system responses in children with overweight and obesity who are at risk for type 2 diabetes. The use of continuous glucose monitoring will provide insight into the daily and cumulative metabolic effects of each condition that have thus far not been studied. In-lab studies demonstrating sustained efficacy of this approach in ameliorating negative effects of sedentary behaviors in children are necessary for the optimization of field-based interventions. Given the lack of success of interventions to prevent obesity-related diseases and increasing rates of type 2 diabetes in children and its related healthcare costs, this study addresses a critical public health need by testing of novel intervention strategies to reduce obesity-related diseases in children with overweight and obesity.

Exploring Virtual Reality Adventure Training Exergaming

The current project aims to design and implement an 8-week Virtual Reality Adventure Therapy Exergaming (V-RATE) intervention focused on women veterans. A randomized controlled trial using a repeated measure design with a 1-month follow-up assessment will be employed to examine effects on physical and mental health outcomes.

Strengthening Child Social-Emotional and Lifestyle Health in Families Experiencing Stress

This study evaluates feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a parent-based prevention program to promote social-emotional and lifestyle behavior health among 3- to 9-year-old children in families experiencing major stressors.