Classroom Exercise Frequency and Mental Health in Medical Students

Promoción de la Actividad física y la Salud Mental en Estudiantes de Medicina

This 16-week, three-group, nonrandomized interventional study evaluated whether the weekly frequency of a brief classroom-based physical exercise program was associated with changes in mental health and physical activity among 105 undergraduate medical students at Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Colombia. EG2 (n=35) received two exercise sessions per week, EG1 (n=37) received one session per week, and CG (n=33) received no exercise intervention. Anxiety, depression, stress, and physical activity were assessed at baseline and after 16 weeks.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Mental Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Brief Classroom-Based Physical Exercise Program

Detailed Description

The three groups were specified prospectively in the ethics-approved protocol. Participation was voluntary, and all participants completed written informed consent. Academic groups were formed independently of the investigators by the university Registration and Academic Control Unit through its routine enrollment process. Both intervention groups received the same approximately 10-minute classroom exercise program and differed only in weekly frequency. Each session comprised a 3-minute warm-up, a 5-minute interval circuit involving large muscle groups, and a 2-minute cool-down with stretching and breathing. Exercises varied across sessions and intensity increased progressively. The target intensity was 5 to 7 on the modified 0-to-10 Borg scale together with a moderate Talk Test response. Attendance was called before each session by the assigned instructor, and withdrawal during a session was recorded. Adherence was defined as attendance at 80% or more of delivered sessions. No adverse events were recorded.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 105
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Colombia
  • Risaralda Department
    • Pereira, Risaralda Department, Colombia, 660003
      • Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrollment in the corresponding academic group (EG2, EG1, or CG) at Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira.
• Voluntary agreement to participate and completion of written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Medical conditions that precluded participation in physical exercise.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EG2 - Classroom Exercise Twice Weekly; Thirty-five participants received two approximately 10-minute classroom exercise sessions per week for 16 weeks, corresponding to 32 delivered sessions.	Behavioral: Brief Classroom-Based Physical Exercise Program; Approximately 10-minute sessions comprising a 3-minute warm-up, a 5-minute interval circuit involving large muscle groups, and a 2-minute cool-down. Exercises varied and intensity increased progressively, targeting 5 to 7 on the modified 0-to-10 Borg scale and a moderate Talk Test response. The program required no exercise equipment.
Experimental: EG1 - Classroom Exercise Once Weekly; Thirty-seven participants received one approximately 10-minute classroom exercise session per week for 16 weeks, corresponding to 16 delivered sessions.	Behavioral: Brief Classroom-Based Physical Exercise Program; Approximately 10-minute sessions comprising a 3-minute warm-up, a 5-minute interval circuit involving large muscle groups, and a 2-minute cool-down. Exercises varied and intensity increased progressively, targeting 5 to 7 on the modified 0-to-10 Borg scale and a moderate Talk Test response. The program required no exercise equipment.
No Intervention: CG - Usual Classroom Activities; Thirty-three participants continued usual classroom activities and received no study exercise sessions during the 16-week period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in anxiety symptom score assessed with the DASS-21 anxiety subscale	Seven items are summed without doubling to obtain a raw score from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety symptom severity.	Baseline and post-intervention at week 16

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in depression symptom score assessed with the DASS-21 depression subscale	Seven items are summed without doubling to obtain a raw score from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater depression symptom severity.	Baseline and post-intervention at week 16
Change in psychological stress score assessed with the DASS-21 stress subscale	Seven items are summed without doubling to obtain a raw score from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater stress symptom severity.	Baseline and post-intervention at week 16
Change in total physical activity assessed with the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire	Total physical activity is expressed as MET-minutes/week by summing walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activity. Higher values indicate a greater physical activity volume.	Baseline and post-intervention at week 16

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Dynamical Business and Science Society - DBSS International SAS
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jhonatan Gonzalez-Santamaria, PhD, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Craig CL, Marshall AL, Sjostrom M, Bauman AE, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE, Pratt M, Ekelund U, Yngve A, Sallis JF, Oja P. International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Aug;35(8):1381-95. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB.
• Ruiz FJ, Garcia-Martin MB, Suarez-Falcon JC, Odriozola-Gonzalez P. The hierarchical factor structure of the Spanish version of Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Int J Psychol Psychol Ther. 2017;17(1):97-105.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 3, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 28, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 28, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 11, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 5, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; Medical Students; Psychological Stress; Exercise Snacks; Classroom-Based Exercise
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Stress, Psychological; Psychological Well-Being; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: UTP-151-101224; 28871 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira); 151-101224 (Other Identifier: Research Ethics Committee approval)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

Drug and device information, study documents

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