None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of the study is to use heart rate variability to guide the type of physical activity prescribed and completed to reduce fatigue in participants whom fatigue is a primary or secondary symptom. It is anticipated that by using heart rate variability to guide exercise, participants will feel less fatigued and will be able to return to the workplace. It is expected that this study will provide knowledge on the benefits of using heart rate variability as a tool to help manage physical activity and fatigue related conditions, which will benefit communities who are currently also trying to understand how to help people with such conditions. It is anticipated that 80 participants will take part in the research study within New Zealand. Participants may choose to complete the exercise intervention straight away, six months later, or not at all. At the start of the research study, you will be asked to complete some questionnaires about your health, wellbeing and work hours. These questionnaires will be repeated at 3 and 6 months. All participants will receive an activity watch and a heart rate strap to wear throughout the study. You will be expected to wear the heart rate strap and watch daily and record your heart rate variability score each day upon waking each day. You will also be asked to keep a diary detailing your heart rate variability scores and physical activity completed. A Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP), will help you learn how to measure your heart rate variability as well as how to keep a diary of your recordings. The exercise intervention will be 12 weeks in length. During the exercise intervention, you will be offered 12 hours of contact with a CEP, this will usually be once a week. The Clinical Exercise Physiologist will prescribe you exercises based on your heart rate variability score. This will be up to 150 minutes of exercise at a level appropriate with your heart rate variability score over the week along with having one 45–60-minute session with a clinical exercise physiologist.
Interventions
Pre intervention measures: Online version of the De Paul Symptom Questionnaire. This will take approximately 20-30 minutes. Participants will be asked to complete four questionnaires (RAND-36 Health Survey, DASS – Depression, anxiety, and stress scale, MFIS – Modified fatigue impact scale, PSFS – patient specific functional scale to enable, this should take approximately 30 minutes.
Participants will be given an activity watch and a HR monitor to wear around their chest. They will be asked to w
Pre intervention measures: Online version of the De Paul Symptom Questionnaire. This will take approximately 20-30 minutes. Participants will be asked to complete four questionnaires (RAND-36 Health Survey, DASS – Depression, anxiety, and stress scale, MFIS – Modified fatigue impact scale, PSFS – patient specific functional scale to enable, this should take approximately 30 minutes. Participants will be given an activity watch and a HR monitor to wear around their chest. They will be asked to wear the activity watch and to collect HRC measures using the polar strap for a period of three days prior to the intervention starting. Participants will meet with a clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) either online or face to face depending on your location. In this meeting the clinical exercise physiologist will explain to participants how to record, interpret, and log the details into the diary. The CEP will also take participants through some physical activity that corresponds to your HRV. They will discuss how to use each participants' HRV data to select the appropriate exercise. The CEP will also help prescribe exercise sessions and also personalised exercise intensity for the rest of the week and this will be up to 150 minutes, depending on the participants ability and exercise history. In week two you will meet with the CEP; they will teach participants when and how to increase daily functional activity. The CEP will help participants manage physical activity over the next 10 weeks, by meeting with them once per week for between 45-60 minutes and helping to set appropriate goals for physical activity for the week, alongside this the CEP will be reviewing and adjusting the program on a weekly basis. Each week participants should expect to complete up to 2 and a half hours of physical activity, this is 30 minutes daily. Participants will have the option of completing one of the sessions supervised. This may occur at a local community centre, at home or in a commercial fitness centre. The level of exercise completed low, moderate or vigorous will be assessed with the heart rate monitor. Adherence to the exercise will be monitored with a physical activity diary which will be checked during the weekly visits to the CEP. Exercise that may be prescribed during the intervention vary from stretching, resistance exercise, walking, jogging, but this will be individualised and dependent on what the participant is capable of. Following the 12 weeks, you will complete the same questionnaires that they completed at the start: RAND-36 Health Survey, DASS – Depression, anxiety, and stress scale, MFIS – Modified fatigue impact scale, PSFS – patient specific functional scale to enable, this should take approximately 30 minutes. Follow up questionnaires will be sent at 3 months and six months post intervention.
Sponsors
Specialised Health - Exercise Physiology
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Individuals who meet the Fukuda and International Consensus Criteria for chronic fatigue or have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue by their GP or treating specialist. Individuals with secondary fatigue, such as long covid, post cancer fatigue, and fibromyalgia will also be accepted into the research study, if they have been diagnosed by a GP or specialist.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals who have not been diagnosed with a fatigue condition and who do not meet the Fukuda, and International Consensus Criteria. Participants will be asked to only complete exercise as directed by the Clinical Exercise Physiologist across the 12 weeks of the study. The participants should continue to take any medications already prescribed.
Outcome results
None listed