Physical Activity Awareness Education for Healthy Young Adults

NCT07429682 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ATLAS-PA-AWARE-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 216
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background and Rationale: Physical inactivity in young adults is common and increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. Awareness-based education that helps individuals reflect on daily routines may support lasting increases in physical activity better than information alone. Objective: To determine whether a 10-week Physical Activity Awareness education program-alone or combined with a brief weekly supervised exercise class-improves muscle performance and exercise participation in healthy, sedentary young adults. Study Design: Single-center, double-masked, randomized controlled trial. Participants are randomized to one of two parallel groups. Outcome assessors are blinded to group allocation; intervention staff are separate from assessors. Baseline and post-intervention assessments are performed over 10 weeks. Participants and Eligibility: Healthy volunteers aged 18-25 years who are inactive or minimally active (per standardized questionnaires), spend \>6 hours/day sitting (outside of sleep), and have body mass index ≤30 kg/m². Key exclusions include conditions that make exercise unsafe (e.g., significant visual/vestibular/neurologic disorders), recent spine or lower-limb surgery or fracture, severe musculoskeletal pain limiting movement, pregnancy risk, pacemaker or metal implants, or current athletic training. Interventions: Education Only: A 10-week Physical Activity Awareness education program delivered by physiotherapists (health benefits of activity, types of exercise, strategies to reduce sitting time, building enjoyable routines). Education + Exercise: The same education program plus one supervised group exercise class per week (40 minutes; music-based aerobic activity, core strengthening, warm-up and cool-down). Assessments and Endpoints: Primary Endpoint: Trunk endurance on the static forearm plank test (time in seconds maintaining proper alignment). Secondary Endpoints: Bilateral handgrip strength (best of three trials per hand, kilograms); Modified Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (MCKCUEST) (number of alternating hand touches in 15 seconds while maintaining trunk stability); standing long jump (best distance, centimeters); and self-reported physical activity and exercise participation. Potential Benefits and Risks: Participants may gain practical knowledge and improvements in fitness and function. Risks are low for healthy adults but may include temporary muscle soreness, fatigue, or strain. Sessions are supervised by trained staff and exercises can be modified for comfort and safety. Confidentiality: Personal information is kept confidential. Data are coded and analyzed in aggregate; individual identities are not reported. Study Setting and Duration: University-based study with assessments at the start and end of a 10-week period. The study follows the Declaration of Helsinki and has institutional ethics approval.

Conditions

Prevention/Health Promotion; Awareness Training

Keywords

Physical Activity; Sedentary Behavior; Health Promotion; Health Education; Awareness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Static Forearm Plank Time (seconds)

  Trunk (core) endurance is assessed with the standard forearm plank test. Participants assume a prone forearm plank with elbows under shoulders and feet hip-width apart, maintaining neutral spine and pelvis. After one familiarization attempt, two timed trials are recorded with ≥2 minutes rest; the best valid time (seconds) is used. Assessors terminate timing upon loss of alignment or voluntary stop. The primary outcome is the change score (post - baseline); higher values indicate better endurance. Trained assessors, standardized instructions, and a written manual of procedures are used to ensure reliability.

  Baseline (pre-intervention) and 10 weeks (post-intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change from Baseline in Trunk Flexion Endurance Time (seconds) at 10 Weeks

  Baseline and 10 weeks (post-intervention)

• Change from Baseline in Modified Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (Touches/15 s) at 10 Weeks

  Baseline and 10 weeks (post-intervention)

• Change from Baseline in Bilateral Handgrip Strength (kg) at 10 Weeks

  Baseline and 10 weeks (post-intervention)

• Change from Baseline in Standing Long Jump Distance (cm) at 10 Weeks

  Baseline and 10 weeks (post-intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Education-Only (Awareness Program)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants receive a 10-week, group-based Physical Activity Awareness education program delivered by physiotherapists. Weekly modules cover: health benefits of physical activity; differentiating physical activity vs exercise; strategies to reduce sitting time; behavior-change techniques (goal setting, self-monitoring, implementation intentions); sleep/screen-time hygiene; safety and progression. Brief reflection/home logs are used to support self-monitoring. No supervised exercise sessions are provided; participants continue usual daily activities.

Behavioral: Physical Activity Awareness Education

Awareness Education + Weekly Supervised Exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive the same 10-week Awareness education as Arm 1 plus one supervised group exercise session per week (40 minutes). Each session includes a \~5-minute warm-up, \~20 minutes of rhythmic/aerobic activity, \~10 minutes of core/strength exercises, and a \~5-minute cool-down. Intensity targets moderate effort (e.g., RPE \~12-14) with modifications allowed for comfort and safety. Attendance is recorded to monitor adherence.

Behavioral: Weekly Supervised Group Exercise (40 min)

Interventions

Physical Activity Awareness Education BEHAVIORAL

Ten-week, group-based education delivered by physiotherapists to increase physical activity awareness and self-management. Weekly modules cover: health benefits of physical activity; differentiating physical activity vs exercise; strategies to reduce sitting time; behavior-change techniques (goal setting, self-monitoring, implementation intentions); sleep/screen-time hygiene; safety and progression; building enjoyable routines. Brief reflection/home logs support self-monitoring. No supervised exercise is provided within this intervention.

Education-Only (Awareness Program)

Weekly Supervised Group Exercise (40 min) BEHAVIORAL

Add-on, once-weekly, 40-minute supervised group exercise session for 10 weeks. Session structure: \~5-min warm-up; \~20-min rhythmic/aerobic activity at moderate intensity (e.g., RPE 12-14); \~10-min core/strength work; \~5-min cool-down. Exercises are coach-guided with options to modify for comfort and safety. Attendance is recorded to monitor adherence.

Awareness Education + Weekly Supervised Exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Classified as inactive or minimally active according to International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scores (Karaaslan et al., 2023).
• Engaging in sedentary behavior, defined as an average of more than 6 hours per day of sitting or lying down (excluding sleep) and having an energy expenditure of \< 1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs) (Tremblay et al., 2017).
• Provides informed consent.
• Body mass index (BMI) of ≤ 30 kg/m² (Douris et al., 2012).

You may not qualify if:

• Any visual, auditory, vestibular, or neurological impairment.
• History of traumatic injury, fracture, or surgery involving the spine or lower extremities within the past year.
• Severe musculoskeletal pain that limits joint movement.
• Pregnancy risk.
• Use of a pacemaker or presence of metallic implants.
• Background of active athletic training.
• Any health condition that contraindicates exercise participation (Akbas \& Unver, 2021).at contraindicated exercise participation (Akbaş \& Ünver, 2021).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Atlas University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul Atlas University

Istanbul, Istanbul, 34400, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Sedentary Behavior; Health Education

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Adherence Interventions; Medication Adherence; Patient Compliance; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assist. Prof.

Model Details: Individually randomized, two-arm, parallel-group superiority trial with an add-on design. All participants receive a 10-week Physical Activity Awareness education program; the experimental arm additionally receives one 40-minute supervised group exercise session per week. The unit of randomization and analysis is the individual participant (no clustering; no crossover). Allocation and masking: 1:1 allocation using a computer-generated sequence with allocation concealment (sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes opened after baseline testing). Outcome assessors (and data analysts) are blinded to group assignment; intervention providers do not perform assessments. Groups meet separately to minimize contamination. Timing and setting: Single-center university study with two assessment time points (baseline and post-intervention at 10 weeks).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 27, 2026
• First Posted: February 24, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2025
• Study Completion: January 1, 2026
• Last Updated: February 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)