Blood Pressure, Physical Inactivity
Conditions
Keywords
Exergaming, Blood pressure, Endurance performance, Pulse wave analysis, Exercise
Brief summary
This randomized control trial aims to compare the effects of a regular exergame-based intervention and a regular moderate-intensity endurance exercise in healthy individuals. The main questions it aims to answer are: • Is regular exergame-based training an effective intervention to improve different health and performance parameters in healthy adults? Can the exergaming intervention improve health and performance parameters similar to a moderate-intensity endurance exercise intervention? Throughout the intervention period (8 weeks), participants will participate in regular training sessions (3x/week) in an exergame called the ExerCube. Researchers will compare the effects to a control group who participates in regular (3x/week) moderate-intensity endurance exercise to see if the exergaming intervention induces similar effects on health and performance parameters.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExergame Intervention
8-week exergame-based intervention 3x per week
BEHAVIORALModerate-intensity endurance exercise
8-week moderate-intensity endurance exercise 3x per week
Sponsors
University of Bern
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Healthy female and male adults * Aged 18-60 years * Free from acute and chronic diseases * Free from movement restrictions or injuries to the musculoskeletal system * Provided written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Underlying health condition that could compromise the safety of the physical exercise * Were taking cardiovascular medications
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from baseline in maximum oxygen consumption at week 8 | Baseline and week 8 | Maximum oxygen consumption will be obtained during a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a bicycle ergometer using a validated metabolic cart. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from baseline in pulse wave velocity at week 8 | Baseline and week 8 | Pulse wave velocity will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs. |
| Changes from baseline in systolic blood pressure at week 8 | Baseline and week 8 | Systolic blood pressure will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs. |
| Changes from baseline in diastolic blood pressure at week 8 | Baseline and week 8 | Diastolic blood pressure will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs. |
| Changes from baseline in lifting biomechanics, measured by the sagittal curvature angle of the lumbar spine | Baseline and week 8 | The sagittal curvature angle of the lumbar spine will be used to assess lumbar spine posture during lifting. It will be derived from kinematic recordings obtained using a skin marker-based motion capture system during standardized box-lifting tasks. Higher values will indicate greater lumbar flexion, reflecting a more rounded lumbar posture, whereas lower values will indicate a more upright or extended lumbar posture. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate adaptations in lumbar movement strategy during lifting. |
| Changes from baseline in lifting biomechanics, measured by the Stoop-Squat Index | Baseline and week 8 | The Stoop-Squat Index will be used to quantify the relative contribution of trunk and knee motion during lifting, positioning the lifting strategy along a continuum from stoop-dominant to squat-dominant movement patterns. It will be calculated from kinematic data obtained using a skin marker-based motion capture system during standardized box-lifting tasks. Higher values will indicate a more stoop-dominant lifting strategy, characterized by greater trunk flexion and less knee flexion, whereas lower values will reflect a more squat-dominant lifting strategy. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate adaptations in lifting technique. |
| Changes from baseline in pain-related fear, measured by the Photograph Series of Daily Activities - Short Electronic Version (PHODA-SeV; capturing task-specific pain-related fear) | Baseline and week 8 | The PHODA-SeV will be used to assess task-specific pain-related fear. This validated, image-based questionnaire presents participants with 40 daily activities, which they will rate in terms of perceived harmfulness using a numerical rating scale from 0 to 100. A score of 0 will indicate "not harmful," and a score of 100 will indicate "extremely harmful." Higher scores will indicate greater perceived threat or fear associated with specific activities, whereas lower scores will indicate less task-specific pain-related fear. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate changes in task-specific pain-related fear. |
| Changes from baseline in pain-related fear, measured by the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK; capturing general pain-related fear) | Baseline and week 8 | The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia will be used to assess general fear of movement and fear of pain-related injury or reinjury. The 17-item version of the questionnaire will be administered, with each item rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Item scores will be summed to calculate a total score ranging from 17 to 68. Higher scores will indicate greater pain-related fear, whereas lower scores will indicate less pain-related fear. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate changes in general pain-related fear. |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSascha Ketelhut, Dr.
University of Bern
Outcome results
None listed