Effectiveness of a Novel Workplace-based Exercise Intervention: a Pilot Study
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Sufficient physical activity and a good cardiorespiratory fitness level (CRF) are central in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction. However, many people remain inactive, partly because current exercise recommendations fail to address important barriers to exercise. A novel exercise protocol has previously been developed called 'reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training' (REHIT), which can remove several common perceived barriers to exercise. REHIT 1) improves CRF and other key CVD risk factors, 2) is genuinely time-efficient (total time-commitment of just 2x10 min per week), 3) is well-tolerated, manageable, and not associated with negative affective responses, and 4) can be done in the workplace, in work-clothes and without a need to shower afterwards. To date, this intervention has only been investigated in a lab-setting. Therefore, in the present randomised controlled trial, the 'real-world' effectiveness of REHIT in improving maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O2max; a key risk factors of CVD) will be investigated in a workplace setting. Participants' attitudes and psychological responses to REHIT will be assessed to evaluate the likelihood of successful implementation. In 2 study centres, a total of up to n=50 physically inactive male and female office workers will be recruited to perform 6 weeks of unsupervised, computer-guided, office-based REHIT (n=25) or act as a control (n=25).
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Exercise Participants allocated to the intervention group will be asked to perform 2 exercise sessions per week for 6 weeks. Each session will involve 10 min of low-intensity cycling (25 W) interspersed with two 20-s 'all-out' cycle sprints against a resistance equivalent to 5% of body mass. The exercise intervention will be delivered on a commercially available cycle ergometer with software developed by CAR.O.L. |
Behavioral: Reduced-Exertion High-Intensity Interval Training (REHIT)
REHIT is a type of Sprint Interval Training (SIT) that has been shown to be efficacious at improving maximal aerobic capacity using a minimal volume of exercise.
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| No Intervention: Control The effects of the intervention will be compared to a no-intervention control group recruited from the same workplace settings. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in maximal aerobic capacity [Change from baseline to 3 days after the 6-week intervention]
Aerobic capacity: a key risk factor of noncommunicable disease
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change in motivation for exercise [Change from baseline to 3 days after the 6-week intervention]
Motivation to exercise as assessed using the RM 4-FM questionnaire, a 16-item questionnaire assessing reasons for trying to be physically active on a scale from 1 ('not at all true') to 7 ('very true'). Higher scores indicate a greater motivation for performing exercise. Scores are added to get an overall score, with higher overall scores indicating greater intrinsic motivation.
- Change in health status [Change from baseline to 3 days after the 6-week intervention]
Health status as assessed using the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF36), which is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. The SF-36 consists of eight scaled scores, which are the weighted sums of the questions in their section. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability i.e., a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability.
- Change in perceived stress [Change from baseline to 3 days after the 6-week intervention]
Perceived stress as assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire, which measures the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. The 10-item questionnaire ask for the frequency of stressful events in the last month, scored on a scale from 0 ('never') to 4 ('very often'). The sum score is taken, with higher scores indicating more perceived stress.
- Intervention acceptability [3 days after the 6-week intervention]
Intervention acceptability as assessed using a questionnaire published by Boereboom et al (2016). This 11-item questionnaire asks how strongly participants agree with statements on the acceptability of the exercise intervention on a scale from 1 ('strongly disagree') to 5 ('strongly agree').
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
• Employee at participating workplace
Exclusion Criteria:
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Aged < 18 years or > 60 years
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History of type 2 diabetes
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Insulin therapy
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Use of β-blockers
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Use of inhaled steroids (e.g. for asthma)
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Any cardiovascular condition with the exception of well-controlled uncomplicated hypertension (systolic >140 mm Hg and/or >90 mm Hg after at least 5 minutes of seated rest), which is treated with no more than two drugs (either an ACE, ARB, calcium channel blocker, or diuretic)
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Cerebrovascular disease including previous stroke or aneurysm
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History of exercise-induced asthma
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History of type 1 diabetes mellitus or a history of ketoacidosis
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History of other specific types of diabetes (e.g., genetic syndromes, secondary pancreatic diabetes, diabetes due to endocrinopathies, drug or chemical-induced, and post organ transplant)
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History of respiratory disease including pulmonary hypertension or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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History of musculoskeletal or neurological disorders
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Active inflammatory bowel disease
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History of renal disease
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Other metabolic diseases, including hyper/ hypo-parathyroidism, hyper/hypo-thyroidism, and Cushing's disease.
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BMI>35 kg/m2
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A clinically significant resting ECG abnormality at the pre-screening visit which in the opinion of the cardiologist exposes the participant to risk by take part in the main trial.
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'Yes' to any questions on a standard physical activity readiness questionnaire (PARQ)
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Classification as moderately or highly physically active on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
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Current participation in another research study
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Inability to fully understand the verbal and written descriptions of the study in English, and the instructions provided during the study
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stirling Council | Stirling | United Kingdom | FK49LA |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- University of Stirling
- Swansea University
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 18/19 036