Effects of Exercise Snacks and Sprint Interval Training in Overweight Adults

Effects of Exercise Snacks and Sprint Interval Training on Cardiovascular Function in Overweight Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Exploring the efficacy and acceptability of exercise snacks (ES) and sprint interval training (SIT) could provide time-efficient, low-barrier alternatives for individuals, especially those who, due to 'lack of time, environment, and equipment,' struggle to meet traditional physical activity recommendations. This research aims to investigate the effects of ES and SIT, of equal exercise volume, on overweight adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Cardiorespiratory Fitness; Cardiovascular Function
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exercise snacks group; Behavioral: Sprint interval training group

Detailed Description

Engaging in regular physical activity has been shown to induce a range of beneficial physiological and psychological adaptations, including improved cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, cardiovascular function, and reductions in negative emotions. However, global participation rates in physical activity remain suboptimal, with little significant improvement. Interviews and surveys have identified several potential barriers to low physical activity levels, with limitations such as 'lack of time, equipment, and facilities' often cited as the main perceived obstacles. Therefore, exploring the minimum effective dose of exercise in real-world settings is essential.

This study will employ a randomized clinical trial to examine the effectiveness and acceptability of two low-volume, high-intensity stair climbing exercises in overweight adults. It adopts a single-blind, parallel randomized design, with the intervention commencing immediately after the initial evaluation and randomization, following a pre-treatment/post-test framework. Eligible participants were recruited via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to one of three groups (one control group and two experimental groups):

1. A control group that will not receive any treatment.
2. Two experimental groups (ES and SIT), which will undergo a stair climbing-based physical training program following the initial evaluation. The two exercise interventions are designed with equal exercise volume, with the only difference being the rest (recovery) time between stair sprints. All exercise sessions are conducted under the supervision of professionals.

The aim of this study is twofold: First, to explore the impact of ES and SIT on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and cardiovascular function in overweight adults. Second, to examine the acceptability of two low-volume, high-intensity stair climbing exercises by assessing participants' (1) acceptability, (2) reactions during the interventions, (3) enjoyment and affective valence during exercise, and (4) intentions at the end.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Peizhen Zhang; Phone Number: 01062989581; Email: zhpzh@bsu.edu.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing, China
    • School of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and women aged between 18 and 35 years;
• Overweight but not obese (BMI ≥24 and ≤ 28 kg/m2);
• Physically inactive (3 or less bouts of purposeful exercise per week);
• Ability to understand the research details and voluntarily sign the informed consent form;
• Non-smoker (for >5 years);
• Body weight has been stable over the past six months, with no recent weight gain or loss behaviors;
• Healthy (see exclusion criteria).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any chronic illness, cardiac, pulmonary, liver, or kidney abnormalities, uncontrolled hypertension, peripheral arterial disease, insulin- or non-insulin dependent diabetes or other metabolic disorders - all ascertained through preliminary screening;
• Individuals with a history of bone, joint or neuromuscular problems or a current musculoskeletal injury ascertained through preliminary screening;
• Abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) results;
• Currently taking medication that may affect physiological testing;
• Contraindications to exercise.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
Active Comparator: Exercise snacks group	Behavioral: Exercise snacks group; Exercise snacks on the stairs for 8 weeks.
Active Comparator: Sprint interval training group	Behavioral: Sprint interval training group; Sprint interval training on the stairs for 8 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cardiorespiratory fitness	The change of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) before and after intervention.	8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body composition	The change of body composition indexes (including fat mas, lean body mass, percentage of body fat) before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Lipid profile	The changes in concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Endothelial function	The change of brachial Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) before and after intervention. Endothelial function will be assessed by FMD.	8 weeks
Arterial stiffness	The changes of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and ankle brachial index before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Resting blood pressure	The change of blood pressure (including systolic and diastolic blood pressure) before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Resting heart rate	The change of resting heart rate before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Waist Circumference	The change of waist circumference before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Hip Circumference	The change of hip circumference before and after intervention.	8 weeks
Body Mass Index (BMI )	The change of BMI before and after intervention. BMI is calculated from the formula, Weight (kg) / Height2 (m2).	8 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of the intervention	Intervention acceptability will be assessed using a theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) questionnaire, completed only at the follow-up assessment. The seven domains of the TFA, along with overall acceptability, are measured using an 8-item questionnaire. The scale scores range from 0 to 5 with high scores indicating greater acceptability, and the total score representing the mean average of 7 individual domains of acceptability (each also rated 0-5).	8 weeks
Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES)	A modified version of the PACES will be used, the PACES scale was modified by removing 1 irrelevant item ('I was very/not at all absorbed in the activity'). The 17 items are scored on a 7-point Likert scale, resulting in an overall enjoyment score between 17 (not enjoyable), 68 (neutral), and 119 (enjoyable).	8 weeks
Intention Questionnaire	Intention questionnaire will be used after the 8 weeks intervention by a seven-point scale ranging from "Most likely never do this form of physical activity again (1)" to "Will likely do this three times per week every week (7)".	8 weeks
Exercise Enjoyment Scale	Exercise enjoyment scale will be measured before, middle, and after intervention. The form will be presented to participants on a scale of 1 = 'not at all' to 7 = 'extremely,' and they will be asked, 'How much did you enjoy this exercise session?'	4 weeks and 8 weeks
Feeling Scale	Feeling scale will be measured before, middle, and after intervention. The one-item Feeling Scale will be used to measure general affective valence (i.e., pleasure and displeasure), participants will respond to the question 'How are you feeling right now?' (-5 = very bad to +5 = very good)	4 weeks and 8 weeks
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE)	Participants' RPE will be immediately assessed by Borg's Category-Ratio 10 scale after training sessions before, middle, and after intervention. The scale scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater perceived exertion.	4 weeks and 8 weeks
Heart rate	Mean and maximum heart rate of the intervention group will be monitored during each sprint.	4 weeks and 8 weeks
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21)	DASS-21 will be used before and after intervention. The scale has 21 questions, each question required participants to rate their experiences on a 4-point scale, where 0 indicated "did not apply to me at all", 1 indicated "applied to me to some degree or some of the time", 2 indicated "applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of the time", and 3 indicated "applied to me very much or most of the time". The total scale scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.	8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beijing Sport University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): February 24, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 4, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cardiovascular Function; Overweight Adults; Sprint Interval Training; Exercise Snacks
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: EESSITOA

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