The BEE-Power Study (Boosting Exercise for Excellent Pediatric Blood Pressure)

The goal of this study is to compare two types of exercises, isometric exercise (like squats and planks) and aerobic exercise (such as running), to see which one is more effective at improving blood pressure in teenagers aged 13 to 17.5 years.

The main question the study aims to answer is:

- Do the effects of one session of isometric exercise on the blood pressure of adolescents compare to the effects of one session of aerobic exercise?

Adolescents with overweight or obesity may qualify for this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a single session of isometric exercise or a single session of aerobic exercise.

• Participants will attend 3 study visits in total.
• Study visits should be completed within 4 weeks of enrollment.
• At the initial visit, samples (example: blood) will be collected and body measurements will be taken.
• Participants will be asked to answer questionnaires (diet, growth, and others)
• At visit 2, participants will have their blood pressure measured using a 24 hour blood pressure monitor.
• At visit 3, participants will participate in a single session of either aerobic or isometric exercise. They will wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor immediately after the exercise session.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exercise; Adolescent Obesity; Overweight and Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Aerobic exercise; Other: Isometric exercise

Detailed Description

Our approach to testing our working hypotheses will be to enroll children ages 13 to <18 years of age. Children will be divided equally into two groups (aerobic exercise and isometric exercise groups), with 18 children in each group. Children who meet inclusion criteria will be asked to attend three study visits at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC). Resting and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements will be conducted twice during the study: baseline measurement at visit 2 and after a single session of exercise at visit 3. To accommodate for any potential dropouts post-assignment and to maintain an even distribution of participants between groups (n =18 each), the study will enroll up to n = 45 children (Refer to the Data Analysis and Randomization section for more details).

The study will follow a randomized parallel group design and will be conducted by the Physical Activity Core - Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) / Arkansas Children's Research Institute in collaboration with the Hypertension Clinic - Nephrology Division at the Arkansas Children Hospital (ACH). Measurements will be completed within four weeks of enrollment. Research staff involved in study procedures are or will be properly trained. All assessments may be repeated if/when needed, and if the participant is willing. Study visits may last up to 3 hours.

Baseline characteristics such as socioeconomic status, pubertal stage, dietary quality, physical fitness (aerobic capacity, body composition) and metabolic phenotyping (glucose, insulin, lipids, etc.) will be used to control for baseline covariates as described in the Data analysis Section.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 38
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72202
      • Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 13 to less than 18 years old.
• Excessive weight: BMI percentile ≥ 85th percentile.

Exclusion Criteria

• Asthma that requires daily use of inhalers to keep symptoms under control
• Asthma that requires use of rescue inhalers (e.g., albuterol) >2 days per week
• Exercise induced asthma
• Autism spectrum disorder (e.g., Autistic disorder, Rett disorder, Asperger disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treated with medication or unwillingness to discontinue medication 1 day prior to the study visit and during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
• Epilepsy
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• Autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus, thyroiditis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis)
• Bleeding disorders (e.g., hemophilia)
• Chronic infections (e.g., HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C)
• Type 2 and type 1 diabetes mellitus.
• Other pre-existing medical conditions or medications as determined by the investigators to affect the outcomes of interest.
• Parent/participant refusal to have blood drawn
• Unwillingness to wear a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor.
• Hypertension managed with medication
• Allergy to latex

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Aerobic Exercise; After baseline 24-hour blood pressure measurements are taken at visit 2, participants will attend a final study visit where they will engage in a single session of aerobic exercise. The exercise routines will include 5 to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down periods, along with a 30-minute workout. Twenty-four hour blood pressure measurements will be taken after the exercise bout.	Other: Aerobic exercise; After baseline 24-hour blood pressure measurements are taken at visit 2, participants will attend a final study visit where they will engage in a single session of aerobic exercise. The exercise routines will include 5 to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down periods, along with a 30-minute workout. Twenty-four hour blood pressure measurements will be taken after the exercise bout.
Experimental: Isometric Exercise; After baseline 24-hour blood pressure measurements are taken at visit 2, participants will attend a final study visit where they will engage in a single session of isometric exercise. The exercise routines will include 5 to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down periods, along with a 30-minute workout. Twenty-four hour blood pressure measurements will be taken after the exercise bout.	Other: Isometric exercise; After baseline 24-hour blood pressure measurements are taken at visit 2, participants will attend a final study visit where they will engage in a single session of isometric exercise. The exercise routines will include 5 to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down periods, along with a 30-minute workout. Twenty-four hour blood pressure measurements will be taken after the exercise bout.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean (24-hour) systolic and diastolic blood pressure	The 24-hour average of systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be calculated from data collected using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.	Within 4 weeks after enrollment: at visits 2 and 3
Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure during sleep	The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure during sleep will be calculated from data collected using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.	Within 4 weeks after enrollment: at visits 2 and 3
Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the awake period	The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the awake period will be calculated from data collected using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.	Within 4 weeks after enrollment: at visits 2 and 3
Nocturnal dipping pattern	Nocturnal dipping pattern will be calculated as follows: Percent day- night BP difference	Within 4 weeks after enrollment: at visits 2 and 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute
• Collaborators: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Eva C Diaz, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 5, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 5, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 23, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 4, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): June 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Overweight; Obesity; Pediatric Obesity; Motor Activity; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: 276902; P20GM109096 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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