The Effect of Different Ways of Sitting on Cognitive Performance and Muscle Activity

Academic educations concurs with a lot of sitting. Studies have shown that prolonged sitting not only has disruptive effects on physical health, but also influence mental health and cognition negatively. For physical health evidence grows that short light intense interruptions of sitting time effectively counterbalance the impact of prolonged sitting. It is not clear of light intense physical activity breaks have a similar positive effect on cognitive performance. Also, it is unclear whether cognitive loading might be able to compensate the impact of prolonged sitting.This study compares the effects of uninterrupted sitting with or without cognitive loading and interrupted sitting on cognitive functioning; muscle activation of leg and trunk muscles under various modes of sitting with walking, in order to calibrate the physical impact of different sitting modes.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Sedentary Behavior; Light Intensity Physical Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: uninterrupted sitting; Behavioral: Sitting interrupted by light physical activity; Behavioral: Sitting with cognitive task

Detailed Description

healthy university students will attend three separate intervention visits with 6-days (no more than 14 days) washout in between: 1) uninterrupted sitting (SIT); 2) uninterrupted sitting with a cognitive task (COGN); 3) sitting interrupted by light physical activity (INTERRUPT). For the SIT and INTERRUPT conditions, subjects watch a series of documentaries while sitting. In the COGN condition, while sitting, participants undergo the online GED test as cognitive load. Four cognitive tests (D2 test, stroop test, trail making test and 2-BACK test) and mood states will be performed before and after each intervention. On a separate day, using surface electromyography, activations of major leg and trunk muscles of sitting on chair, active and passive sitting on a yoga ball and walking were assessed.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 21
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Limburg
    • Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, 6229 ER
      • Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18-30 years
• BMI between 18-28
• steady dietary habits
• generally healthy
• Female on contraceptive pills/Male

Exclusion Criteria:

• High score (score: 11-21) in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: SIT group; participants will sitting 4 hours continuously.	Behavioral: uninterrupted sitting; Participants will watch documentary during prolonged sitting.; Other Names: SIT
Experimental: INTERRUPT group; participants will sitting 25 minutes with 5 minutes walking per half hour,40minutes walking in total	Behavioral: Sitting interrupted by light physical activity; Each 30 minutes will be 25 minutes sitting followed by 5 minutes walking that designed as prescribed walking route outside laboratory corridor.; Other Names: INTERRUPT
Experimental: COGN group; participants will perform GED test as cognitive loading task during 4-hour sitting	Behavioral: Sitting with cognitive task; Participants will perform online cognitive task during prolonged sitting.; Other Names: COGN

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive processes as assessed using Stroop test	Stroop test is a computer-based Stroop word and color test, including congruent trials and incongruent trials to assess inhibition. Reaction time and accuracy of the Stroop test will be collected before and after the intervention	change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
Cognitive processes as assessed using D2 attention test	D2 attention test is a paper and pencil test to assess attention. Concentration performance will be collected before and after the intervention.	change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
Cognitive processes as assessed using N back test	N back test is a computer-based test, including target images and non-target images. this test is for updating and working memory. The correct reaction number of N back test will be collected before and after the intervention.	change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
Cognitive processes as assessed using Trail making test	Trail making test is a computer-based test to assess task-switching. reaction time and accuracy of the trail making test will be collected before and after the intervention.	change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
mood status assessed by tension score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by anger score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by depression score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by vigor score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by esteem-related effect score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by confusion score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by fatigue score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
mood status assessed by total mood level score	mood questionnaire(an abbreviated version of Profile of Mood States (POMS)) will be used before and after the intervention, such as tension, anger, depression, vigor, esteem-related effect, confusion, fatigue, total mood level data included. The scale is 0 to 4.	change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
muscle activity	Muscle activity is measured by the electromyograph （EMG）machine. RMS values will be collected and calculated as muscle activation during each sittings condition	recording 5 minutes' muscle activity for each sitting posture, average RMS will be collected.it will be performed on another experiment day.
discomfort level	after each sitting condition, self discomfort level will be asked.0 means no discomfort,10 means the worst discomfort	report discomfort level immediately after each sitting condition(each sitting posture lasts 5 minutes).it will be performed on another experiment day.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Maastricht University
• Investigators: Study Director: Hans HCM Savelberg, PhD, Maastricht University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 7, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 20, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): May 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 20, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2021
• Last Verified: January 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: sedentary behavior; executive function; light physical activity; active sitting
• Other Study ID Numbers: DSIT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: there is no sharing individual participant data

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No