Comparing Two Different Methods to Prescribe Exercise

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Physical Activity, Health Behavior

In brief

Practical interventions are needed to increase physical activity (PA) levels in insufficiently active individuals. HEAT is a randomized controlled trial comparing two different exercise prescription (ExRx) methods to increase PA volume among insufficiently active UConn students. Students will be randomized to two groups: (1) ExRx#1 will emphasize meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans via the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type or FITT principle of ExRx; and (2) ExRx#2 will be founded in the Integrated Behavior Change Theory and based on the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Review Committee Scientific Report heat map which emphasizes that all PA counts. HEAT aims to assess the effectiveness of each ExRx individually and comparatively to one another for each outcome measure. We hypothesize that UConn students in ExRx#2 will increase PA volume more than ExRx#1 in response to the 12wk ExRx due to its foundation in the IBC. If our hypothesis proves correct we aim to inform healthcare providers on university campuses on which method of ExRx is more effective at increasing PA participation among their insufficiently active students.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04286919

Run by

University of Connecticut

People needed

46

Starts

2019-02-22

Expected to finish

2020-05-28

Last updated by the study team

2020-08-07

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• >18 years old.
• Participants will attend UConn Storrs campus as an undergraduate or graduate student during the study.
• Participants must be physically inactive as defined by participating in less than or equal to 2 days of planned, structured physical activity over the past 12 weeks.
• Any and all races may be included.
• Participants will be healthy with no diagnosed cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, or other chronic diseases or depression and not taking medication for any of these chronic diseases or health conditions as defined by answering "no" to all General Health Questions listed in the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+).
• Anyone scoring less than a 19 on the Beck Depression Inventory.
• Those who answer "yes" to 3 or less on the eating questionnaire will be included.
• Between 18-35 m2/kg.
• Participants should be non-smokers for at least 6 months prior to entry.
• Participants should drink <2 alcoholic drinks daily.
• Women who are not pregnant or lactating and do not plan on becoming pregnant.
• Participants with no arthritis or orthopedic problems inhibiting their ability to exercise across all intensities without exacerbating the problem.
• Participants willing to maintain their habitual diet throughout the study.
• Participants wanting to enter the study for reasons that do not include weight loss.
• Participants should be willing and able to consent to all data collection processes including the intended timeline of the study procedures as well as all questionnaires, fitness assessments, and physical activity monitor usage.
• Participants who are willing to use only the physical activity program given to them by researchers and are willing to refrain from obtaining and using another program given to them by anyone else besides study researchers. Participants must also agree to not look at the physical activity guidelines being administered to the other intervention group that they are not assigned to.

You may not qualify if…

• <18 years old
• Not attending UConn Storrs campus during the duration of their enrollment.
• Answering "no" to any question on the 12-item checklist of inclusion criteria
• Participating in more than 2 days of planned, structured physical activity over the past 12 weeks.
• Unhealthy students as determined by answering "yes" to any question listed on the PAR-Q+.
• Scoring a 19 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory.
• Those who answer "yes" to more than 3 statements on the SCOFF eating disorder questionnaire will be excluded.
• BMI <18 or >35 m2/kg.
• People who currently smoke, plan on smoking or have smoked tobacco within the last 6 months.
• People drinking 2 or more alcoholic drinks daily.
• Women who are pregnant or lactating.
• People with arthritis or orthopedic problems will not be enrolled if these conditions compromise their completion of the exercise protocols or ability to exercise across all intensities.
• People unwilling to maintain their habitual diet as we request throughout study participation.
• We will not recruit subjects whose primary motivation for enrolling is to lose weight.
• People who do not think they will be able to complete all study protocols at the times they are scheduled to complete them. This includes the completion of study time logs and all study visits.
• Anyone not willing to confirm that they will refrain from obtaining another exercise program or viewing that of the other group.

Where it is running

• University of Connecticut — Storrs, Connecticut, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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