Intermittent Walking Training and Cardiometabolic Health in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

NCT07555457 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: IW-CardioWomen-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare premenopausal and postmenopausal women regarding the effects of a 10-week moderate-intensity intermittent walking training (MIWT) program on aerobic capacity and selected cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers. The main question it aims to answer is: Does a MIWT program induce differential improvements in aerobic capacity, body composition, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers between premenopausal and postmenopausal women? Participants in the premenopausal group will perform a 10-week MIWT program, three sessions per week. Participants in the postmenopausal group will perform the same 10-week MIWT program, three sessions per week. Each training session consists of 5 repetitions of 6-minute walking (6MWT) at 60-80% of the baseline 6MWT distance, interspersed by 6 minutes of active recovery between repetitions. Body composition, aerobic capacity (6-minute walk test), heart rate, blood pressure, lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides), and C-reactive protein (CRP) will be assessed before and after the intervention in both groups.

Conditions

Cardiometabolic Health in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Keywords

Intermittent walking; Premenopausal women; Postmenopausal women; Cardiometabolic health; C-reactive protein; Lipid profile; Aerobic capacity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

• Body Mass Index (BMI)

  BMI calculated as weight (kg) divided by height squared (m²).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Body Fat Percentage

  Total body fat measured by digital scale (Tanita BC-533).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Waist Circumference

  Measured at the narrowest point between the rib cage and iliac crest using a tape measure.

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Hip Circumference

  Measured at the widest point of the hips using a tape measure.

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

  Serum CRP concentration (mg/L).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Total Cholesterol

  Serum total cholesterol concentration (mg/dL).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol

  Serum HDL cholesterol concentration (mg/dL).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol

  Serum LDL cholesterol concentration (mg/dL).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Triglycerides

  Serum triglyceride concentration (mg/dL).

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) Distance

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Blood Pressure (Systolic and Diastolic)

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

• Resting Heart Rate

  Baseline and after the 10 weeks of the training intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Premenopausal Women Receiving MIWT Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the premenopausal group will perform a 10-week moderate-intensity intermittent walking training (MIWT) program, with three supervised sessions per week. Each session consists of 5 repetitions of 6-minute walking (6-minute walk test, 6MWT) performed at 60-80% of the baseline 6MWT distance, interspersed by 6 minutes of active recovery between repetitions. Body composition, aerobic capacity, heart rate, blood pressure, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein will be assessed before and after the intervention.

Behavioral: Moderate-Intensity Intermittent Walking Training (MIWT)

Postmenopausal Women Receiving MIWT Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the postmenopausal group will perform the same 10-week moderate-intensity intermittent walking training (MIWT) program, with three supervised sessions per week. Each session consists of 5 repetitions of 6-minute walking (6-minute walk test, 6MWT) performed at 60-80% of the baseline 6MWT distance, interspersed by 6 minutes of active recovery between repetitions. Body composition, aerobic capacity, heart rate, blood pressure, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein will be assessed before and after the intervention.

Behavioral: Moderate-Intensity Intermittent Walking Training (MIWT)

Interventions

Moderate-Intensity Intermittent Walking Training (MIWT) BEHAVIORAL

Participants will perform a 10-week moderate-intensity intermittent walking training (MIWT) program, with three supervised sessions per week. Each session consists of 5 repetitions of 6-minute walking (6-minute walk test, 6MWT) performed at 60-80% of the baseline 6MWT distance, interspersed by 6 minutes of active recovery between repetitions. The same intervention is applied to both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Postmenopausal Women Receiving MIWT Program; Premenopausal Women Receiving MIWT Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 32 Years - 65 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Women aged 32 to 43 years (premenopausal, with regular menstrual cycles for at least 12 months) or 49 to 65 years (postmenopausal, with absence of menstruation for at least 12 months).
• Body mass index (BMI) \> 24.9 kg/m².
• For the postmenopausal group: amenorrhea ≥ 12 months.
• For the premenopausal group: regular menstrual cycles for at least 12 months.

You may not qualify if:

• Cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, heart failure).
• Presence of metabolic or inflammatory disorders (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, autoimmune diseases, active infections).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef: lead

Study Sites (1)

High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba

El Kef, Boulifa, 7100, Tunisia

Location

Study Officials

• Wissal Abassi

  Research Unit "Sport Sciences, Health and Movement"(UR22JS01) High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, 7100 Kef, Tunisia.

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Wissal Abassi Dr

CONTACT

+21693304684; wissalabassi93@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2026
• First Posted: April 29, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): May 21, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 20, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 20, 2026
• Last Updated: April 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)