Sedentary Behavior Intervention for Older Adults With Coronary Heart Disease and Frailty

August 12, 2026 updated by: Xie Yajie, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine

Development and Application of a Sedentary Behavior Intervention Program Based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change for Older Adults With Coronary Heart Disease and Frailty

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a sedentary behavior intervention based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC) in older adults with coronary heart disease and frailty. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention is designed around the three core components of ITHBC-knowledge and beliefs, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation-to help participants reduce sedentary behavior, improve physical activity, and enhance their ability to manage health-related behaviors. The study will include a 1-month intervention period followed by a 2-month follow-up period, with a total study duration of 3 months for each participant. Changes in sedentary behavior and other health-related outcomes will be assessed throughout the study period.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is designed to develop and evaluate a sedentary behavior intervention for older adults with coronary heart disease and frailty based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC). The intervention framework incorporates the three major components of ITHBC: knowledge and beliefs, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation.

The intervention is intended to improve participants' knowledge and beliefs regarding sedentary behavior and its health consequences, strengthen their motivation and confidence for behavior change, enhance self-regulation skills such as goal setting, self-monitoring, action planning, feedback, and behavioral adjustment, and provide appropriate professional, family, and social support. These strategies are integrated to facilitate the initiation and maintenance of sedentary behavior change.

The study consists of a 1-month structured intervention period followed by a 2-month follow-up period, resulting in a total study duration of 3 months for each participant. Participants in the intervention group will receive the ITHBC-based sedentary behavior intervention according to the study protocol, while participants in the control group will receive the comparator specified in the protocol. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated by comparing changes in sedentary behavior and other prespecified health-related outcomes between the groups during the intervention and follow-up periods.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

64

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Gansu
      • Lanzhou, Gansu, China, 730000
        • Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Yajie Xie

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 60 years or older.
  • Diagnosis of stable coronary artery disease according to the Chinese Primary -Care Guideline for Stable Coronary Artery Disease (2020).
  • Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina class I or II.
  • Fried Frailty Phenotype score of 1 or higher, including participants with pre-frailty (score 1-2) or frailty (score 3-5).
  • Total sedentary time of 6 hours or more per day.
  • The participant or the participant's primary caregiver is able to use the WeChat application.
  • Able and willing to provide informed consent and voluntarily participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently participating in another research study.
  • Presence of a malignant tumor.
  • Presence of a severe infectious disease.
  • Presence of a physical impairment that substantially limits limb mobility.
  • Presence of a language impairment that prevents effective communication or -completion of study assessments.
  • Presence of cognitive impairment that prevents understanding of study procedures or completion of study assessments.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ITHBC-Based Sedentary Behavior Intervention
Participants in this arm will receive a 1-month sedentary behavior intervention based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC), in addition to usual care. The intervention incorporates strategies targeting knowledge and beliefs, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation. Participants will subsequently be followed for 2 months, resulting in a total study duration of 3 months.
Behavioral: ITHBC-Based Sedentary Behavior Intervention
The intervention is a 1-month nurse-delivered sedentary behavior intervention based on the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change (ITHBC). It addresses three core components of ITHBC: knowledge and beliefs, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation. Intervention strategies include health education related to sedentary behavior and coronary heart disease, individualized goal setting, self-monitoring, action planning, feedback, and professional and family/social support to facilitate reduction of sedentary behavior and promote physical activity. After the 1-month intervention period, participants will receive a 2-month follow-up to support maintenance of behavior change.
No Intervention: Usual Care
Participants in this arm will receive usual care provided by the clinical team and will not receive the ITHBC-based sedentary behavior intervention. Participants will be followed for the same 3-month study period as the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Average Daily Sedentary Time
Time Frame: Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
Average daily sedentary time will be assessed using the Older Adults Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire. The questionnaire assesses sedentary behavior during the previous 7 days across seven common sedentary domains, including watching television or videos, using a mobile phone or listening to music or radio, reading, socializing with family or friends, engaging in sedentary hobbies, resting or napping, and other sedentary activities. Time spent in each domain is reported in 15-minute increments from 0 minutes to 6 hours. Daily total sedentary time will be derived from the reported sedentary time across the seven domains and expressed as time spent sedentary per day. Lower values indicate less sedentary time.
Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change From Baseline in Longest Continuous Sedentary Bout Duration
Time Frame: Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
The longest continuous sedentary bout duration will be assessed using the Older Adults Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire. Participants will report the longest uninterrupted period of sitting, reclining, or lying during the day. Responses range from 0 minutes to 6 hours in 15-minute increments. A shorter duration indicates less prolonged sedentary behavior.
Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
Change From Baseline in Frequency of Sedentary Bouts Lasting 30 Minutes or Longer
Time Frame: Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
The frequency of prolonged sedentary bouts will be assessed using the Older Adults Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire. Participants will report the number of times per day that they remain sitting, reclining, or lying continuously for 30 minutes or longer. Response options range from 0 times to 10 or more times per day. A lower frequency indicates fewer prolonged sedentary bouts.
Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
Change From Baseline in Self-Efficacy to Reduce Sedentary Behavior
Time Frame: Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
Self-efficacy for reducing sedentary behavior will be assessed using the Chinese version of the Self-Efficacy to Reduce Sedentary Behavior (SRSB) Scale. The scale contains 9 items, each rated on a 5-point scale from 1 ("not at all confident") to 5 ("very confident"). The total score ranges from 9 to 45, with higher scores indicating greater confidence in reducing sedentary behavior.
Baseline, Day 8, Month 1, and Month 3
Change From Baseline in Fried Frailty Phenotype Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 1，Month 3
Frailty will be assessed using the Fried Frailty Phenotype, which includes five criteria: unintentional weight loss, reduced grip strength, exhaustion, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. Each criterion contributes 1 point, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 5. A score of 0 indicates robust status, 1-2 indicates pre-frailty, and 3-5 indicates frailty. Higher scores indicate greater frailty.
Baseline, Month 1，Month 3
Change From Baseline in Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed by the SF-36
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 1 and Month 3
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Chinese version of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The instrument contains 36 items covering eight health domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. Higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life.
Baseline, Month 1 and Month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Gansu University of Chinese Medicine

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yajie Xie, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 12, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ITHBC-SB-2026-061

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be made publicly available because no formal data-sharing plan has been established for this study. Study data will be managed and stored in accordance with the approved study protocol and institutional requirements for participant confidentiality and data protection.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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