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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02645071

Brief Program in Reducing Sedentary Behavior and Promoting Physical Exercise

Lack of physical activity was found to be a local and worldwide issue. Most Hong Kong people are having sedentary lifestyle. Researchers show that the increase of physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and improve cardio-pulmonary functions; whereas sedentary behaviors increase the risks.

For many people, the targets of the WHO physical activity guidelines are too high to be achieved. Some people are not even willing to try, despite the evidence for the protective benefits to their long term health. In response, a recent focus has been placed upon reduction of sedentary behavior. Sedentary behavior is defined as 'those activities that do not increase energy expenditure substantially above the resting level, such as sitting, lying down, or viewing TV, or simply as "too much sitting". The primary determinants of sedentary behavior are behavioral and context-based, such as TV and screen-focused behaviors in home and work environments, sitting at work, and sitting during transport. The public health leaders have called for reducing the time spent in sedentary behaviors as a possible public health priority. This study will focus on reduction of sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity in daily life. We hypothesize that the training programs would promote the health awareness of the participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Physical Activity Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

18 year–100 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Health

Hong Kong, 852

About this study

Physical activity is believed to contribute to physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. World Health organization (WHO) proposed that tobacco use, alcohol abuse, poor diets and physical inactivity are the common risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) (WHO, 2014). The health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) are well established, including positive associations with psychological well-being and an inverse relationship with various illnesses.

Lack of physical activity was found to be a local and worldwide issue and most Hong Kong people are having a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that the increase of physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and improve cardio-pulmonary functions; whereas sedentary behaviors increase the risks. In response, a recent focus has been placed upon reduction of sedentary behavior. The primary determinants of sedentary behavior are behavioral and context-based, such as TV and screen-focused behaviors in home and work environments, sitting at work, and sitting during transport. As a result, public health leaders have called for reducing the time spent in sedentary behaviors as a possible public health priority.

This study will focus on reduction of sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity in daily life. The intervention will promote activities that can be done without using extra time (Zero-time exercise). These exercises will encourage participants to use larger muscle groups than they would simply sitting or standing, but are designed to be done by all ages and all fitness levels. For example, while standing, participants will be encouraged to balance on one leg, which will engage stomach and leg muscles. There is evidence that these types of movements create cardiovascular and skeletal muscle changes.

The intervention is a 15- to 20- minute interactive session program, which aims to reduce participants' sedentary behavior and increase physical activity by increasing their motivation, self-efficacy and knowledge of different types of easy movements (Zero-time exercises). We hypothesize that the training programs would promote the health awareness of the participants.

The primary objective is to promote the health awareness on reducing sedentary behavior and/or increasing physical exercise. The secondary objectives are to enhance intention and confidence of participants to encourage their family members to reduce sedentary and/or increasing physical exercise.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Chinese speaking
  • Able to complete the questionnaire
  • Aged 18 or above

Exclusion criteria

  • People with serious health condition that might prevent them from participating in physical activity

Treatment and study plan

Physical activity

Behavioral

A brief education program in reducing sedentary behavior and promoting physical exercise with family would be conducted. Assessments will be conducted in two different time points, before training session (T1), immediately following training (T2) and two weeks after training (T3) to evaluate the effectiveness of training program.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in intention on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior

    Time frame: baseline, immediately following the training session, 2 weeks

    Intention on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior, will be assessed by outcome-based physical activity questionnaire

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in confidence on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior

    Time frame: baseline, immediately following training, 2 weeks

    Confidence on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior, will be assessed by outcome-based physical activity questionnaire

  2. Change in perceived knowledge on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior

    Time frame: baseline, immediately following training, 2 weeks

    Perceived knowledge on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior, will be assessed by outcome-based physical activity questionnaire

  3. Change in behaviour on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior

    Time frame: baseline, 2 weeks

    Behaviour on performing physical activity in relation to reduce sedentary behavior, will be assessed by outcome-based physical activity questionnaire

  4. Change in participants' own health and happiness

    Time frame: baseline, 2 weeks

    Personal health and happiness will be assessed by personal health and happiness scale

  5. Change in participants' family well-being

    Time frame: baseline, 2 weeks

    Family well-being will be assessed by family well-being scale

  6. Change in intention to motivate participants' family members to reduce sedatry behvaiour

    Time frame: baseline, immediately following training, 2 weeks

    Intention to motivate participants' family members on reducing sedentary behaviour, will be assessed by outcome-based physical activity questionnaire

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong

Other

Collaborators

  • The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

Registry information

Official study title

FAMILY Project: Brief Program in Reducing Sedentary Behavior and Promoting Physical Exercise

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Jan 1, 2016
Registry last updated
Jan 11, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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