Effect of Pyramidal Aerobic Training on Ventilatory Function in Cigarette Smokers

August 13, 2026 updated by: Tarek Taha Fathy, Cairo University

Statement of the problem:

Does the pyramidal aerobic training affect ventilatory function parameters in smokers?

Null hypothesis:

Pyramidal aerobic training has no significant effect on ventilatory function parameters (such as Forced Vital Capacity [FVC], Forced Expiratory Volume in one second [FEV₁], and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate [PEFR]) in adult smokers.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial evaluates the effect of an eight-week pyramidal aerobic training program on ventilatory function in cigarette smokers. Forty male cigarette smokers aged 18 to 28 years will be randomly allocated to either a pyramidal aerobic training group or a control group. The intervention group will perform treadmill-based pyramidal aerobic training three times per week for eight consecutive weeks. Each session will include a warm-up, pyramidal aerobic training with ascending and descending intensity levels, and a cool-down. Training intensity will range from 20% to 80% of the participant's target heart rate calculated using the Karvonen formula. Ventilatory function will be assessed by spirometry, while functional capacity, health-related quality of life, and smoking abstinence self-efficacy will also be assessed at baseline and after the intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

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 Locations

  • Egypt
    • October City
      • Giza, October City, Egypt
        • Faculty of Physical Therapy, Ahram Canadian University

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cigarette smoker males aged from 18 to 28 years.
  • Smoking index = 50.
  • Sedentary lifestyle.
  • BMI between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/m².
  • Cigarette smokers demonstrate mild to moderate impairment in ventilatory function confirmed by baseline spirometry.
  • SASEQ (Smoking Abstinence Self-Efficacy Questionnaire) moderate self-efficacy, score from 9 to 16.
  • Cigarette smokers are able and willing to participate in aerobic training sessions

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma.
  • Patients with cardiovascular diseases or other systemic illnesses that contraindicate exercise.
  • Patients who experienced recent respiratory infections within the last 4 weeks.
  • Patients currently engaged in regular structured aerobic or respiratory training programs.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pyramidal Aerobic Training Group
Participants will receive pyramidal aerobic training on a treadmill three times per week for eight consecutive weeks.
Behavioral: Pyramidal Aerobic Training
Pyramidal aerobic training performed on a motorized treadmill three times per week for eight consecutive weeks. Each session consists of 5 minutes of warm-up, 20 minutes of pyramidal aerobic training with 5 ascending and 5 descending intensity levels, each lasting 2 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of cool-down. Training intensity ranges from 20% to 80% of the participant's target heart rate calculated using the Karvonen formula, with heart rate monitored using a pulse oximeter.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants will be assigned to the control group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
FEV1/FVC Ratio
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Functional Capacity (VO2max)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-12)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Smoking Abstinence Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SASEQ) Score
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention
Smoking abstinence self-efficacy will be assessed using the Smoking Abstinence Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SASEQ). The questionnaire score ranges from 9 to 16, with higher scores indicating greater smoking abstinence self-efficacy.
Baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Cairo University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tarek Taha Fathy, Cairo University

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 (Actual)

September 6, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 10, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 13, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • P.T.REC/012/006336

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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