Tele-exercise Training Program for Long COVID

NCT07553897 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: A202105159-2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Patients with long coronavirus disease (COVID-19) experience multisystem symptoms and reduced quality of life (QOL). Proactive interventions are needed to enhance health outcomes.To investigate the effects of a 12-week tele-exercise training program on long COVID symptoms, cardiorespiratory fitness, and QOL.

Conditions

Long COVID

Keywords

Telerehabilitation; Long COVID; cardiorespiratory fitness; quality of life; long COVID symptoms

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Long COVID Symptoms

  Common long COVID symptoms, based on the participants' subjective reports, include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, palpitations, brain fog, headaches, sleep disturbances, dizziness, changes in taste or smell, and depression or anxiety; these were assessed by a physician using a checklist with a binary response (present or absent).

  12 weeks

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness - Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO₂peak)

  Participants will undergo cardiopulmonary exercise testing using a motorized cycle ergometer with an incremental ramp protocol (10 W/min). The test will continue until participants report physical exhaustion or reach maximal exercise capacity, defined by respiratory exchange ratio criteria. Peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak, mL/kg/min) will be estimated from maximal cardiac output and oxygen utilization and identified when oxygen consumption plateaus despite increasing exercise intensity. Unit of Measure: mL/kg/min

  12 weeks

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness - Peak Workload

  During cardiopulmonary exercise testing, peak workload (watts) will be recorded as the highest workload achieved on the cycle ergometer. This reflects participants' ability to tolerate increasing exercise intensity. Unit of Measure: watts

  12 weeks

• Cardiorespiratory Fitness - Anaerobic Threshold

  Anaerobic threshold (AT, mL/kg/min) will be determined during cardiopulmonary exercise testing as the point at which energy production begins to shift from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. Unit of Measure: mL/kg/min

  12 weeks

• Health-Related Quality of Life

  The brief World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire includes 26 standardized items covering four domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. It also contains two general items assessing overall quality of life and general health. The Taiwanese version adds two culturally specific items related to social respect/acceptance and eating/food. All items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, where higher scores reflect better quality of life. Scores for each domain are calculated by averaging the item scores within that domain and then multiplying by 4, yielding a final score range from 4 to 20.

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Safety and adverse events

  12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Telehealth exercise training

EXPERIMENTAL

Telehealth exercise training for 12 weeks

Device: Telehealth exercise training program

Education and self-exercise

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

usual outpatient care for 12 weeks

Behavioral: Education and self-exercise

Interventions

Telehealth exercise training program DEVICE

Each participant received an individual exercise counselling session lasting 10-15 minutes, based on the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine. Participants in the home-based telehealth exercise group were provided with a mobile exercise application integrated with heart rate-monitoring clothing. The app delivers real-time heart rate feedback during each session and includes an alert system to ensure participants maintain their prescribed target heart rate based on individualized exercise prescriptions. Upon completion of each session, exercise duration and heart rate data are automatically uploaded to the medical center's cloud system via the monitoring device. An experienced nurse regularly reviewed the cloud-based data to monitor adherence. Additionally, communication between participants and researchers was facilitated through the LINE platform, enabling timely interaction and support.

Telehealth exercise training

Education and self-exercise BEHAVIORAL

Each participant received an individual exercise counselling session lasting 10-15 minutes, based on the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine. Participants received usual outpatient care for long COVID, which included general guidance on physical activity, physician-led management of persistent symptoms (e.g., fatigue, dyspnea, and reduced exercise tolerance), and routine follow-up visits as clinically indicated.

Education and self-exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 20-80 years
• Diagnosed with long COVID based on the criteria of the World Health Organization
• Able to speak and understand Mandarin
• Able to ambulate independently
• Owns a mobile phone with Internet access
• Willing to participate and undergo randomization

You may not qualify if:

• History of arrhythmia
• History of mental illness
• Pregnancy
• Acute or unstable chronic diseases (e.g., recent stroke, ongoing cancer treatment, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, or major surgery within the previous 3 months) Comorbid neurological or musculoskeletal conditions (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease, or dementia) resulting in moderate-to-severe physical disability

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Tri-Service General Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Tri-service general hospital

Taipei, Neihu, 11490, Taiwan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

Interventions

Educational Status

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

COVID-19; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Post-Infectious Disorders; Chronic Disease; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Socioeconomic Factors; Population Characteristics

Study Officials

• Shang-Lin Chiang, PhD

  Tri-Service General Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2026
• First Posted: April 28, 2026
• Study Start: October 12, 2021
• Primary Completion: November 8, 2023
• Study Completion: November 22, 2023
• Last Updated: April 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

TW (1)