NCT04926207

The Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Bouts of Physical Activity on Neurocognitive Function in Obesity

SIT Less! Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Brief Physical Activity Bouts to Improve Neurocognitive Function in Adults With Obesity

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 45 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 64 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

It is projected that by 2030 almost 50% of adults in the USA will have obesity. High sedentariness and physical inactivity contribute to the obesity pandemic. Neurocognitive deficits compound the global burden of obesity. Specifically, adults with obesity underperform on tasks of executive functioning, which underpin goal-directed behavior and have been linked to occupational success. Growing evidence suggests poorer executive functioning among more sedentary adults. Emergent studies have shown that accumulating sedentary time in prolonged bouts (e.g., remaining sedentary continuously 20 min or more) may decrease the ability to control distractions along with working memory. Interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of physical activity is an effective strategy to improve postprandial glucose metabolism. However, the effects of this simple intervention on neural processes supporting executive functioning remain unknown. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to test the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent (every 30 min) but brief (3 min) physical activity bouts on inhibitory control, working memory, and their neuroelectric indices (N2, P3a, and P3b components of event-related brain potentials). Our secondary aim is to explore the potential mechanisms underlying the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with physical activity on cognitive and brain function through glucose metabolism and insulin physiology. Findings from this study will help advance our understanding of how restructuring sedentary time may help improve cognitive and brain functions among adults with obesity.

Detailed description

Measurements of cognitive and brain function will be taken before, and after three hours of prolonged sitting. Metabolic, heart rate, and blood pressure measures, along with the ratings of fatigue will be collected before and during the three-hour prolonged sitting time. The prolonged sitting time will be either interrupted with physical activity breaks or with sedentary breaks (attention control). Habitual physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and dietary intake will also be assessed.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Physical Activity Breaks Intervention	Participants will be asked to walk on a treadmill for 3 min at a moderate intensity (55% of heart rate reserve) at an increasing speed and incline to reach and maintain their target heart rate.
BEHAVIORAL	Talking Breaks Control	Every 30 min a researcher will start a brief conversation with a participant based on a pre-selected topic, which will change with each break. Topics are standardized across participants and include, for example, pollution, smart clothes, and hydration. A presentation will be followed by questions and answers. The break will last 3 min.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-05-03
• Primary completion: 2024-05-31
• Completion: 2024-05-31
• First posted: 2021-06-15
• Last updated: 2024-02-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States