Efficacy of Movement Breaks in Real-World Settings

NCT05574426 | Completed Results

• 3 other identifiers: H21-03417707246POC-181042
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 77
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of performing "exercise snacks" (short movement breaks throughout the day) on various measures of cardiometabolic health.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Exercise Snack; Movement Break; Sedentary Time; Lifestyle Exercise; Physical Activity Breaks; VILPA

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change From Baseline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness at 12 Weeks

  Cardiorespiratory fitness will be assessed as the highest 30-s average from a laboratory-based graded VO2peak test on a cycle ergometer.

  Baseline and Week 12

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Change From Baseline in Plasma Insulin

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Plasma Glucose

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Insulin Resistance

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Inflammatory Cytokines

  Baseline and 12 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Body Mass

  Baseline and 12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Cardiovascular Movement Breaks

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will perform 3-4 exercise snacks (30-60s bursts of exercise) on at least 3 days of the week. The exercises prescribed in this arm will be designed to increase heart rate.

Behavioral: Movement Breaks

Mobility Movement Breaks

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will perform 3-4 mobility snacks (30-60s of mobility exercises or stretching) on at least 3 days of the week. The exercises prescribed in this arm are not designed to increase heart rate.

Behavioral: Movement Breaks

Interventions

Movement Breaks BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be asked to perform 30-60 second movement breaks 3-4 times per day on at least 3 days per week.

Also known as: Activity Snacks

Cardiovascular Movement Breaks; Mobility Movement Breaks

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 64 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Physically inactive (performing \<150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise per week, assessed by pre-screening Get Active Questionnaire);
• Body Mass Index: 18.5-30.0 kg/m2;
• Not currently diagnosed with or being treated for cardiometabolic disease (e.g., coronary artery disease, diabetes);
• Not a current smoker;
• Cleared to engage in physical activity using the Get Active Questionnaire and, if applicable, consultation with a Qualified Exercise Professional;
• Access to a computer, tablet or smartphone for intervention delivery and tracking

You may not qualify if:

• Chronic health condition preventing participation in exercise;
• Lack of access to internet connection

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of British Columbia: lead
• Canadian Cancer Society (CCS): collaborator
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): collaborator
• McMaster University: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

University of British Columbia

Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada

Location

McMaster University

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Babir FJ, Islam H, McCreary S, Vaz E, Falkenhain K, Cranston K, Jung M, Singer J, Sandilands R, Marcotte-Chenard A, Stamatakis E, Richards DL, Gibala MJ, Little JP. Technology-Enabled Exercise "Snacks" Are Feasible to Perform in a Real-World Setting: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2025 Aug;35(8):e70117. doi: 10.1111/sms.70117.

  PMID: 40772837 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Jonathan Little
• Organization: University of British Columbia

jonathan.little@ubc.ca

250-807-9876

Study Officials

• Jonathan Little

  University of British Columbia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Outcome assessors will not be aware of group allocation and statistics performed on data with group identity blinded.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Participants will be randomized (1:1 allocation ratio) into Mobility or Cardiovascular movement break groups for 12-weeks. Both groups will perform 3-4 movement breaks on at least 3 days of the week.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2022
• First Posted: October 10, 2022
• Study Start: October 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 5, 2023
• Study Completion: December 5, 2023
• Last Updated: March 21, 2025
• Results First Posted: March 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (2)