Effects of Sustainable Exercise Habits in University Students

NCT07676292 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: yeditepe04
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 140
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This cross-sectional comparative study aims to evaluate the effects of sustainable exercise habits on cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality in university students. The main hypotheses are: H0: There is no difference in cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality between university students with sustainable exercise habits and those with a sedentary lifestyle. H1: There is a difference in cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality between university students with sustainable exercise habits and those with a sedentary lifestyle.

Conditions

Sedentary Lifestyle; Physical Activity

Keywords

University Students; Sustainable Exercise; Sedentary Behavior; Cognitive Awareness; Decision Making; Sleep Quality; body awareness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) - Short Form

  The IPAQ-Short Form will be used to determine the physical activity levels of the participants. This questionnaire consists of 7 questions and provides information about the duration of vigorous activity, moderate activity, walking, and sitting performed in the last 7 days. The data obtained will be calculated in MET-minutes/week. Based on the results, participants will be classified as physically inactive, having low activity level, or adequate activity level.

  8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Body Awareness Questionnaire

  8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

• Melbourne Decision Making Scale

  8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

• Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale

  8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

  8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

Study Arms (2)

Sustainable Exercise Group

University students who have been performing at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week regularly for at least the last 6 months.

Other: Survey-based Assessment

Sedentary Group

University students with a weekly physical activity duration of less than 60 minutes or those without a regular exercise habit for the last 6 months.

Other: Survey-based Assessment

Interventions

Survey-based Assessment OTHER

No pharmacological or physical intervention is applied. Participants are assigned to groups based on their self-reported physical activity habits. Assessment consists of an online survey battery to evaluate cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality.

Sedentary Group; Sustainable Exercise Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study will include healthy university students aged 18 to 25 who are currently studying at universities in Turkey. The study population is divided into two main groups based on their physical activity levels: a sustainable exercise group consisting of students who exercise regularly, and a sedentary group consisting of students who do not exercise regularly.

You may qualify if:

• Being a university student aged between 18 and 25 years
• Volunteering to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Having any diagnosed psychiatric disorder
• Regularly using medications that affect sleep patterns or cognitive functions
• Having been diagnosed with a sleep disorder
• Having a history of substance or alcohol addiction
• Having had an acute illness within the last 1 month
• Having undergone surgery within the last 6 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Yeditepe University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Yeditepe University Faculty of Health Sciences

Istanbul, Istanbul, 34755, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (14)

• Passarello N, Varini L, Liparoti M, Troisi Lopez E, Sorrentino P, Alivernini F, Gigliotta O, Lucidi F, Mandolesi L. Boosting effect of regular sport practice in young adults: Preliminary results on cognitive and emotional abilities. Front Psychol. 2022 Sep 28;13:957281. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.957281. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 36248595 BACKGROUND

• Caspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Rep. 1985 Mar-Apr;100(2):126-31.

  PMID: 3920711 BACKGROUND

• Peterson NE, Sirard JR, Kulbok PA, DeBoer MD, Erickson JM. Sedentary behavior and physical activity of young adult university students. Res Nurs Health. 2018 Feb;41(1):30-38. doi: 10.1002/nur.21845. Epub 2018 Jan 9.

  PMID: 29315656 BACKGROUND

• Di Benedetto M, Towt CJ, Jackson ML. A Cluster Analysis of Sleep Quality, Self-Care Behaviors, and Mental Health Risk in Australian University Students. Behav Sleep Med. 2020 May-Jun;18(3):309-320. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2019.1580194. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

  PMID: 30821507 BACKGROUND

• Tanik F, Ozer Kaya D. Relationships Between Function, Pain Severity and Psychological and Cognitive Levels in People With Chronic Neck Pain: Cross-Sectional Study. Pain Manag Nurs. 2024 Dec;25(6):645-651. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.06.008. Epub 2024 Jul 12.

  PMID: 39003128 BACKGROUND

• Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989 May;28(2):193-213. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4.

  PMID: 2748771 BACKGROUND

• Mehling WE, Gopisetty V, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Hecht FM, Stewart A. Body awareness: construct and self-report measures. PLoS One. 2009;4(5):e5614. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005614. Epub 2009 May 19.

  PMID: 19440300 BACKGROUND

• Memon AR, Gupta CC, Crowther ME, Ferguson SA, Tuckwell GA, Vincent GE. Sleep and physical activity in university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Aug;58:101482. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101482. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

  PMID: 33864990 BACKGROUND

• Osherow EK, Gnall KE, Park CL. Associations between interoceptive awareness and leisure time physical activity intensity, engagement, and duration. Psychol Health. 2025 Sep 17:1-24. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2025.2560363. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 40961461 BACKGROUND

• Irwin JD. Prevalence of university students' sufficient physical activity: a systematic review. Percept Mot Skills. 2004 Jun;98(3 Pt 1):927-43. doi: 10.2466/pms.98.3.927-943.

  PMID: 15209309 BACKGROUND

• Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, Carty C, Chaput JP, Chastin S, Chou R, Dempsey PC, DiPietro L, Ekelund U, Firth J, Friedenreich CM, Garcia L, Gichu M, Jago R, Katzmarzyk PT, Lambert E, Leitzmann M, Milton K, Ortega FB, Ranasinghe C, Stamatakis E, Tiedemann A, Troiano RP, van der Ploeg HP, Wari V, Willumsen JF. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec;54(24):1451-1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955.

  PMID: 33239350 BACKGROUND

• Moulin MS, Truelove S, Burke SM, Irwin JD. Sedentary time among undergraduate students: A systematic review. J Am Coll Health. 2021 Apr;69(3):237-244. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1661422. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

  PMID: 31518211 BACKGROUND

• Tremblay MS, Colley RC, Saunders TJ, Healy GN, Owen N. Physiological and health implications of a sedentary lifestyle. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2010 Dec;35(6):725-40. doi: 10.1139/H10-079.

  PMID: 21164543 BACKGROUND

• Ferreira Silva RM, Mendonca CR, Azevedo VD, Raoof Memon A, Noll PRES, Noll M. Barriers to high school and university students' physical activity: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2022 Apr 4;17(4):e0265913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265913. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35377905 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Turkish validity and reliability of the Insomnia Complaints and Sleep Quality Basic Scale

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior; Motor Activity; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Aslı Yeral, Asst. Prof. Dr

CONTACT

0537 965 8494; asli.yeral@yeditepe.edu.tr

Deniz ASLAN, MSc

CONTACT

0538 339 3074; deniz.aslan@yeditepe.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 24, 2026
• First Posted: June 30, 2026
• Study Start: June 10, 2026
• Primary Completion: July 27, 2026
• Study Completion: July 30, 2026
• Last Updated: June 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)