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Exercise preference in overweight adults with clinical depression: a pilot study

A randomised controlled trial investigating the suitability of three formats of exercise intervention for overweight or obese adults with clinical depression.

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ANZCTR
Registry ID
ACTRN12614000097640
Enrollment
35
Registered
2014-01-28
Start date
2014-05-01
Completion date
2016-06-30
Last updated
2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The propsed study will investigate the suitablity (particularly enjoyment, motivation to continue) of three formats of exercise intervention (Moderate Intensity Personal Preference; Moderate Intensity Steady State; and High Intensity Interval Training) for overweight or obese individuals with clinical depression. In essence, the proposed research will act as a feasibility/pilot study for a later study, which will be based on the results of the proposed research. In this future study a 12 week exercise program will be implemented (based on the proposed study outcomes) which will be compared to and used alongside a “gold standard” treatment of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for depression. It is important to understand exercise preferences and motivation to continue exercise in this population prior to designing this treatment protocol. We expect that the format of exercise (high intensity vs moderate intensity; interval vs steady state vs personal preference) will differentially affect motivation and enjoyment as well as markers of inflammation, appetite, symptoms of depression and sleep quality.

Interventions

All exercise interventions will be conducted 3x per week over 6 weeks, with approximately 45-60mins of exercise per session, including warm up and cool down. All exercise is supervised and conducted in individual format. Intensity is calculated via an initial VO2max test. Arm 1 - Moderate Intensity Steady State Exercise - Participant performs steady state stationary cycling at a moderate intensity (60-65% VO2peak). Arm 2 - High Intensity Interval Training - Participant performs repeated sho

All exercise interventions will be conducted 3x per week over 6 weeks, with approximately 45-60mins of exercise per session, including warm up and cool down. All exercise is supervised and conducted in individual format. Intensity is calculated via an initial VO2max test. Arm 1 - Moderate Intensity Steady State Exercise - Participant performs steady state stationary cycling at a moderate intensity (60-65% VO2peak). Arm 2 - High Intensity Interval Training - Participant performs repeated short bouts of high intensity exercise (e.g. 1min @ 95-100% VO2peak) followed by lower intensity recovery exercise (e.g. 4mins @ 40-45% VO2peak) on a stationary cycle.

Sponsors

Nick Buckley
Lead SponsorIndividual

Study design

Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All
Age
17 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. DSM-IV-TR Diagnosis of depression 2. Overweight or Obese (BMI: >25) 3. Not have diagnosed diabetes 4. Willing and able to participate in exercise intervention 5. Older than 18 years of age, younger than 45 years of age (if attending an Australian Tertiary Institution, older than 17 years of age) 6. Stable use of antidepressents (at least 3 weeks on regular dose) 7. No current engagement in therapy and willingness to postpone new therapy for the duration of participation 8. If female, must not be pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. 9. Understand written and spoken English (a conversational level of english is all that is required)

Exclusion criteria

1. Certain Mental disorders (Psychosis, Personality Disorder or other Mood Disorders - either ICD-10 or DSM-IV-TR) 2. Previous cardiovascular incident (e.g. heart attack, stroke) 3. Current cardiovascular disease (i.e. CHD) 4. Serious or unstable medical conditions (other than obesity) 5. Substance dependence requiring rehabilitation/detoxification 6. Current suicidal ideation or recent attempt (previous 24months)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ANZCTR · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026