Square Step Exercises in Healthy Young Adults

August 14, 2025 updated by: Ezgi Eryildiz, Fenerbahce University

Comparison of the Effects of Square Step Exercises and Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Functions and Physical Fitness in Healthy Young Adults

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Square Stepping Exercise and aerobic exercise on cognitive function and physical fitness in young adults. Participants aged 18-30 with low physical activity levels will be randomly assigned to either the Square Stepping Exercise Group or Aerobic Exercise Group. Both interventions will be supervised by a physiotherapist, performed twice a week for 40 minutes over 4 weeks. Cognitive function will be assessed using various tests, including attention, short-term memory, and executive function evaluations. Physical fitness will be evaluated through jump tests and balance assessments. Blinded assessors will conduct evaluations at baseline and post-intervention in both groups to determine the impact of square stepping exercise and aerobic exercise on cognitive and physical health in young adults.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • Maltepe, Turkey
        • Marmara University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • International Physical Activity Questionnaire score <600 Metabolic Equivalents (METs),
  • No neurological or orthopedic problems affecting gait, balance and lower extremities
  • No vision or hearing problems, and no history of musculoskeletal surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who have pain due to a musculoskeletal problem
  • Participants who are continuing another routine exercise program

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Square Stepping Exercise Group
The experimental group will have Square Stepping Exercise training twice a week for 4 weeks. Each session will start with a 15-minute warm-up, followed by a 40-minute Square Stepping Exercise workout and ending with a 15-minute cool-down. The Square Stepping Exercise part will start with the Elementary 2 level, which has 30 different patterns. Participants will start with the first pattern at this level. If they can complete it without mistakes within 15 seconds, they'll move on to the next pattern. If not, they'll repeat the pattern until they get it right within the time limit. Each session will have four participants, with two participants working on each of the two mats, which are divided into 40 squares and measure 100cm by 250 cm.
Other: Square Stepping Exercise training
The experimental group will have Square Stepping Exercise training.
Active Comparator: Aerobic Exercise Group
Individuals in the aerobic control cohort will partake in a 40-minute treadmill walking session, maintaining their heart rate at 60% of their individual heart rate reserve as calculated using the Karvonen formula. Before and after the aerobic exercise, a 5-minute warm-up session incorporating stretching and calisthenics, as well as a 5-minute cool-down session, will be conducted.
Other: Aerobic Exercise Training
Individuals in the aerobic control cohort will partake in a treadmill walking session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Schulte Grid Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Schulte Grid Test will be used to evaluate the attention level of the participants. The task involves participants locating and selecting numbers in sequential order within a table filled with random numbers ranging from 1 to 64. Participants are required to find and click the correct numbers in ascending order, with completion time serving as the primary metric for assessment. Once a participant selects the correct number "1," the corresponding box will illuminate in green, prompting the participant to locate and select "2," and so forth until reaching "64." The test concludes upon successfully clicking the last number in the sequence. Schulte grid test will be conducted on a 15.6-inch laptop screen. A shorter reaction and completion time for the test will show good attention.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Stroop Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
This test will be used to evaluate executive functions, particularly selective attention and cognitive flexibility. In this assessment, participants are tasked with identifying the colors of rectangles, reading color names, and stating the color of color names printed in differing hues. Subsequently, error rates and spontaneous corrections are meticulously recorded and assessed. A shorter completion time and fewer number of errors for the test will show good executive functions.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Verbal Fluency Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
  1. Letter Fluency Test: Participants are instructed to count words beginning with the letters K, A, S, and non-numerical characters within one minute, while a voice recording is made. Words not starting with the specified letters and repeated words are tallied as errors/points. It is scored on the number of words derived. Repetition of the same word is considered as perseveration
  2. Category Fluency Test: Participants are prompted to enumerate names of animals, fruits, and objects purchasable from the market within one minute, with a voice recording taken. Words falling outside the designated categories and repetitions are logged as error count/score. Total score based on the number of groups formed by the individual in one minute points are awarded. The more groups the individual has made, the more points individual gets.

In this study, these tests will be utilized to assess information processing speed and attention as part of executive functions.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Digit Span Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
The test consists of two parts. Part One is Digits Forward and Part Two is Digits Backward. In both tests administered separately, random numbers are read to the participants at one-second intervals. The norm value of the Digits Forward is 7, while the norm value of the Digits Backward is 5; results below these values indicate impaired attention.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Vertical jump test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
This test will be used for physical fitness assessment. During the assessment, the participant positions themselves adjacent to a wall. Using one arm, they extend upwards without bending, making contact with a wall marked in centimeters (cm). This measurement is then recorded. Following this, the participant is directed to perform a maximal force jump, aiming to touch the highest point achievable. This process is repeated thrice, with a 60-second rest interval between each jump. The highest value attained among the three jumps is documented in centimeters.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Horizontal jump test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
In the assessment of horizontal jump, a key component of physical fitness, the standing long jump technique will be utilized. A designated starting line will be marked, with a ruler spanning 3 meters in length fixed at 1-centimeter intervals from the starting point. Participants will assume the starting position, ensuring their feet are not touching the line and are fully grounded, then execute a forward jump using both legs. The distance from the starting line to the point where the participant's feet last touch the ground will be measured. Each participant will perform three jumps, and the best distance achieved will be recorded as the final measurement.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Y Balance Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)
Dynamic balance, an essential component of physical fitness crucial for executing functional tasks and occupational activities, will be evaluated using the Y balance test. This test involves reaching as far forward as possible along anterior, posterolateral, and posteromedial directional lines placed on the ground while maintaining balance on one foot. Participants will be instructed to reach as far as they can in each direction with their raised foot while keeping their hands on their hips. The maximum reach distances achieved in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions will be marked and recorded as three valid measurements for each direction. The key outcome measures of interest will include the reach distances in the three directions as well as the composite score derived from the test.
Baseline and after the interventions (4th week)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fenerbahce University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 19, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 19, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 19, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 14, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 29.02.2024/45

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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