Clinical Research Directory

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.

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.

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

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 "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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

A BCT Intervention for an Hourly Activity Habit Among Caregivers for Persons With AD/ADRD

This 12-week trial will test the efficacy of a personalized, multi-component, personalized text-message delivered behavior change technique (BCT) intervention to encourage habitual hourly physical activity among care providers of persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) via the key mechanism of behavior change (MoBC) of automaticity. The main question it aims to answer is whether a multi-component, personalized BCT intervention to increase habitual walking of \>250 steps/hour will lead to successful development of habitual hourly walking among 50% of caregivers.

Buerger-Allen Exercises and Peripheral Circulation in Sedentary Office Workers

This study aims to evaluate the acute effects of Buerger-Allen exercises on lower extremity circulation in sedentary office workers. Prolonged sitting is associated with reduced venous return, impaired peripheral circulation, and endothelial dysfunction. Buerger-Allen exercises are simple position-based exercises designed to enhance arterial blood flow, venous return, and tissue perfusion. Thirty-five healthy sedentary adults aged 18 to 45 years will participate in this single-group pretest-posttest clinical trial. Skin surface temperature, capillary refill time, ankle-brachial index, peripheral oxygen saturation, and heart rate will be measured before and after a single 20-minute exercise session. The findings may support the use of Buerger-Allen exercises as a practical, low-cost physiotherapy strategy to improve peripheral circulation and reduce the adverse vascular effects of prolonged sitting.

Stand up for Your Health With a Sit-stand Desk

More than 84 million - or 1 out of every 3 U.S. adults - have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years. Average medical expenditures among diabetics are about 2.3 times higher than expenditures for people without diabetes. Physical inactivity and elevated body mass index (BMI) are major risk factors for the disease. Sedentary behavior is becoming increasingly prevalent with the growth of a 'work from home' culture, most recently driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional epidemiologic data report significant associations between high amounts of sedentary (sitting) time and prevalent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In our pilot study of 15 subjects with sedentary office jobs, 6 months of sit-stand desk use resulted in a 23% improvement in insulin resistance, most substantial in those who decreased daily sitting by over 90 minutes/day. Additional improvements in vascular endothelial function and triglyceride levels were seen without any change in exercise activity, step counts, or body weight. These findings not only corroborate epidemiologic findings on this topic but suggest causality and warrant a randomized control trial. The investigators hypothesize that adult subjects at-risk for diabetes will improve insulin sensitivity, metabolic and vascular (endothelial) health with a sit-stand desk intervention at work (whether in the office or at home), in the context of a randomized, controlled trial. The investigators will randomize 198 sedentary office workers with a BMI≥25 at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a 1:1:1 ratio of three groups: (a) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 2 hours standing per day; (b) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 3 hours standing per day; or (c) control arm over 6 months. The block randomization design will allow for important dose-response analyses. The investigators will objectively quantify standing time, sedentary time, sedentary bouts, daily steps, and exercise activity times using a compact and re-usable accelerometer that adheres to the subject's thigh. This will provide objective assessments of activity levels and sedentary times for 7 full days each at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The device is equipped with an inclinometer to classify posture (sitting verses standing).

MOVI-OLE! [Open Learning Environments]

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of MOVI-OLE! (Open Learning Environment), a school-based intervention designed to reduce sedentary time and enhance multiple aspects of child development, including cognitive function, physical fitness, body composition, psychological well-being, and student engagement. The intervention combines dynamic classroom furniture with student-centered teaching practices. Additionally, a qualitative component will explore how students, teachers, and families perceive the feasibility and acceptability of implementing MOVI-OLE! in real-world school settings.

Interrupting Sedentary Time to Improve Cardiometabolic Health and Toxicity in Patients With Lymphoma Receiving Chemotherapy: The iSTAND Trial

This study aims to see if a 12-week exercise program designed to reduce long periods of inactivity is feasible in newly diagnosed lymphoma participants receiving R-CHOP or POLA-R-CHP chemotherapy treatments, and whether it can improve heart health and reduce chemotherapy drug side effects.

Breaking up Prolonged Sedentary Behavior to Improve Cardiometabolic Health

The purpose of this Phase 1 research study is to answer two questions: (1) How frequent should periods of prolonged sedentary time be interrupted? and (2) What is the appropriate duration or length of time of these breaks in sedentary time? To address these questions, this project will conduct a state-of-the-art adaptive dose finding study under controlled laboratory conditions to determine the minimally effective dose (the smallest dose) that yields cardiometabolic benefit for two separate sedentary break elements (frequency and duration). Study findings will ultimately determine how often and for how long people should break up periods of prolonged sedentary time to transiently improve established cardiovascular risk factors; key foundational information critical to the success of future long-term trials and ultimately public health guidelines. Primary Aim: To determine the minimally effective dose combination(s) of frequency and duration needed to provide cardiometabolic benefit during an 8-hour experimentation period. Specifically, the study will determine: 1a. For each fixed duration, the minimum sedentary break frequency (e.g., every 30 min, 60 min, 120 min) that demonstrates a reduction in systolic BP, diastolic BP, or glucose compared with a sedentary control condition. 1b. For each fixed frequency, the minimum sedentary break duration (e.g., activity breaks of 1 min, 5 min, 10 min) that demonstrates a reduction in systolic BP, diastolic BP, or glucose compared with a sedentary control. Secondary Aim: It is also critical to public health strategy to assess the acceptability/feasibility of various sedentary break doses as too high a dose will yield poor uptake. To address this need, the maximally tolerated dose (the highest dose that does not cause undue physical/psychological distress) for frequency and duration of sedentary breaks will also be determined via assessment of 4 constructs: physical exhaustion/fatigue, affect (e.g., mood, emotion), tolerability (e.g., completion of dose protocol), and safety (e.g., hypoglycemia). Maximally tolerated dose will be defined as the highest dose where \<20% of participants exhibit an adverse outcome.

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.