Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health

NCT07718113 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2026-33
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, yet many young adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Exercise snacking, which involves performing brief bouts of physical activity throughout the day, may provide a practical alternative to traditional exercise programs by making physical activity easier to incorporate into daily routines. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether a 12-week exercise snacking intervention improves physical activity levels, aerobic fitness, cardiometabolic health, and psychological well-being in insufficiently active young adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an exercise snacking intervention or a usual behavior control group. Assessments will be completed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention, and after an additional 12-week follow-up period to determine whether any changes are maintained after the intervention ends. The study will measure physical activity using wearable activity monitors and assess aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose, exercise motivation, affective responses to exercise, and mental well-being. The findings will help determine whether exercise snacking is an effective and sustainable strategy for improving health in young adults and may inform future physical activity recommendations and interventions

Conditions

Cardiometabolic Health; Physical Inactivity; Sedentary Behavior

Keywords

exercise snacking; physical activity; aerobic fitness; behavioral intervention; exercise motivation; physical activity maintenance; randomized controlled trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity

  Average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured objectively using an accelerometer worn for seven consecutive days.

  Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Body Fat Percentage

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

• Aerobic Fitness

  Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24

• Fasting Blood Glucose

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

• Blood Lipid Profile

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

• Exercise Motivation

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

Other Outcomes (3)

• Everyday Cognitive Failures

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

• Exercise-Related Affective Valence

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

• Academic engagement (UWES-S)

  Baseline, Week 12, Week 24

Study Arms (2)

Exercise Snacking

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the exercise snacking group will complete a 12-week intervention consisting of multiple brief bouts (approximately 1-3 minutes each) of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity performed throughout the day. Participants will receive written instructions, examples of appropriate exercise snacks, and periodic check-ins to support adherence. The intervention is designed to increase daily physical activity by integrating short bouts of exercise into normal daily routines.

Behavioral: Exercise Snacking

Usual Behavior Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control group will continue their usual daily activities for 12 weeks and will not receive instruction regarding exercise snacking or any structured physical activity program during the intervention period. They will complete the same outcome assessments as participants in the intervention group.

Interventions

Exercise Snacking BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to the intervention group will complete multiple brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout each day for 12 weeks. Each exercise snack will typically last approximately 1-3 minutes and may include activities such as stair climbing, brisk walking, repeated sit-to-stands, body-weight squats, or other moderate-to-vigorous activities that can be incorporated into daily routines. Participants will receive standardized written instructions, examples of exercise snacks, and periodic follow-up visits to monitor adherence and reinforce study procedures.

Exercise Snacking

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-60 years.
• Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg/m².
• Insufficiently physically active, defined as generally not meeting current physical activity guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• Able to safely participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as determined by study screening procedures, including completion of the Physical - Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) and health history review.
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent.
• Willing to complete all study visits, wear activity monitors, and comply with study procedures.

You may not qualify if:

• Known cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, orthopedic, or other medical conditions that would make participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity unsafe.
• Resting heart rate \>100 beats/minute at screening.
• Resting blood pressure \>160/100 mmHg at screening.
• Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities identified during screening that require medical evaluation.
• Current participation in regular structured physical activity that meets or exceeds recommended physical activity guidelines.
• Physical limitations or injuries that preclude safe participation in the intervention or fitness testing.
• Moderate-to-severe psychological distress or other mental health concerns identified during screening that require referral or would make study participation inappropriate.
• Pregnancy or any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsafe or interfere with completion of study procedures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Wisconsin, River Falls: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Wisconsin-River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin, 54022, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (4)

• Wan KW, Dai ZH, Wong PS, Huang WY, Lei EF, Little JP, Lin FC, Tam BT. Effects of Exercise Snacks on Cardiometabolic Health and Body Composition in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2025 Aug;35(8):e70114. doi: 10.1111/sms.70114.

  PMID: 40814152 BACKGROUND

• Wang T, Laher I, Li S. Exercise snacks and physical fitness in sedentary populations. Sports Med Health Sci. 2024 Feb 27;7(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.smhs.2024.02.006. eCollection 2025 Jan.

  PMID: 39649791 BACKGROUND

• Yin M, Deng S, Chen Z, Zhang B, Zheng H, Bai M, Li H, Zhang X, Deng J, Liu Q, Little JP, Li Y. Exercise snacks are a time-efficient alternative to moderate-intensity continuous training for improving cardiorespiratory fitness but not maximal fat oxidation in inactive adults: a randomized controlled trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2024 Jul 1;49(7):920-932. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0593. Epub 2024 Apr 3.

  PMID: 38569204 BACKGROUND

• Jenkins EM, Nairn LN, Skelly LE, Little JP, Gibala MJ. Do stair climbing exercise "snacks" improve cardiorespiratory fitness? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019 Jun;44(6):681-684. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0675. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

  PMID: 30649897 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD

  University of Wisconsin, River Falls

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD

CONTACT

715-425-4945; gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu

Ricky Lopez, MS

CONTACT

715-425-4138; ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2026
• First Posted: July 21, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Last Updated: July 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: De-identified individual participant data and supporting documentation will be available beginning six months after publication of the primary study results and will remain available for five years thereafter.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data, the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and analytic code may be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the Principal Investigator. Requests should include a brief research proposal and analysis plan and will be evaluated based on scientific merit, investigator qualifications, and the proposed use of the data. When applicable, a data use agreement will be required prior to data sharing. All shared data will be de-identified and released in accordance with institutional policies and applicable regulations to protect participant confidentiality.

Locations

US (1)