The Effects of Physical Training on Physiological and Psychological Stress-reactions and Cognitive Function. (ASTI)

October 10, 2018 updated by: Vastra Gotaland Region

Sustainable Working Life With Reduced Stress Levels - The Effects of Physical Training on Physiological and Psychological Stress-reactions and Cognitive Function.

One of the biggest challenges of today is the high stress levels among employees in companies and organizations. Physical exercise may be an effective preventive measure for stress-related problems. This relatively simple and inexpensive action is believed to be important for increasing and maintaining work ability and reduce the cost of stress-related ill health in the workplace.

The aim is to investigate how regular physical exercise affects the individual's ability to mentally and physiologically cope with stress. Acute stress physiological responses are measured before and after a 6 -month intervention, where 100 untrained individuals are randomized to either regular physical exercise or a control group.

The hypothesis is that exercise leads to lesser activation of the individual's stress physiological systems and to an efficient physiological protection system. Mental ability to handle stress is also studied as well as possible effects on the brain's cognitive functions. From a work perspective, cognitive impairment due to high exposure to stress is a major problem leading to substantial costs in businesses and organizations as a result of reduced performance and production.

We believe that physical activity can alter and mitigate individual stress reactions. This study brings new knowledge that can contribute to increased motivation to prioritize physical activity in everyday life. The study could also provide evidence for businesses and organizations of the benefits of engaging in interventions and fitness initiatives to facilitate/enable increased physical activity in daily life for its employees. With an aging population, we are expected to work longer, which poses a challenge as the ability to manage stress and maintain cognitive abilities decline with age. For older employees, regular physical activity could be an important factor directly affecting the prospects for a sustainable working life.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

119

Phase

  • 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

  • Sweden
    • VGR
      • Gothenburg, VGR, Sweden, SE-413 19
        • the Institute of Stress Medicine

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

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Self-reported good health
  • Sedentary
  • Work or study at least 50%

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Blood pressure > 140/90
  • Psychiatric disease
  • Anemia
  • Medication with substances that could affect any of the outcome measures

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exercise
Physical training Duration: 45-60 minutes Frequency: 3 times per week Intensity: mean heart rate > 75% of maximum heart rate determined by exercise test before start of the intervention
Other: Exercise
Physical training Duration: 45-60 minutes Frequency: 3 times per week Intensity: mean heart rate > 75% of maximum heart rate determined by exercise test before start of the intervention
No Intervention: Control
Instructed to continue with their sedentary behavior for another 6 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress.
Time Frame: 6 months after start of intervention
Serum cortisol (nmol/l) profile after exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
6 months after start of intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive function
Time Frame: 6 months after start of intervention
Performance of the CNS Vital Signs (CNSVS) cognitive test battery.
6 months after start of intervention
Self-reported stress sensitivity and symptoms
Time Frame: 6 and 12 months after start of intervention
Assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), Shirom Melamed Burnout questionnaire (SMBQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15).
6 and 12 months after start of intervention
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) response to psychosocial stress
Time Frame: 6 months after start of intervention
ACTH in plasma (pmol/L) after exposure to the TSST
6 months after start of intervention
Dehydroepiandrostreone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) response to psychosocial stress
Time Frame: 6 months after start of the intervention
DHEA(S) in serum (µmol/L) after exposure to the TSST
6 months after start of the intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Autonomic responses to acute psychosocial stress
Time Frame: 6 months after start of intervention
Heart rate and blood pressure during and after the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
6 months after start of intervention
Neuroendocrine and autonomic responses to exercise test
Time Frame: 6 months after start of intervention
6 months after start of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Vastra Gotaland Region

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ingibjörg H Jonsdottir, Professor, Västra Götalandsregionen

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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 (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 25, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

April 3, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 29, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

January 31, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 11, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 10, 2018

Last Verified

October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ISM-01-2013
  • 2012-0484 (Other Grant/Funding Number: FORTE)

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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