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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00284479

The Effect of Walking on Cardiovascular Risk

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8 week program of walking for 45 minutes, twice a week, on fitness, body composition , blood pressure and blood markers of cardiovascular risk. We hypothesised that this 90 minutes of walking per week would result in measurable increases in fitness and reductions in body fat, resting blood pressure and improved blood lipid profiles.

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Key information

Conditions

Sedentariness

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Ulster

Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37 0QB, United Kingdom

About this study

Current physical activity guidelines suggest that every adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week. However, compliance with these guidelines requires considerable commitment in terms of time spent exercising per week (> 150 minutes) and this may deter individuals from starting an exercise programme. Accordingly, randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate the effects of smaller volumes of exercise on health.

37 civil servants (24 women) aged 41.5 + 9.3 years, were randomly assigned to either two 45 minute walks per week (walking group) or no training (control group). Aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure (BP), CRP and lipoprotein variables were measured at baseline and following 8 weeks. Steps counts were measured at baseline and during weeks 4 and 8 of the intervention

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Member of staff at the Northern Ireland Civil Service

Exclusion criteria

Physically active (defined as compliance with current physical activity guidelines (Pate, 1995), age > 65 years, resting BP > 159/99 mm Hg, total cholesterol > 6.2 mmol•L-1, fasting blood glucose > 7.0 mmol•L-1, body mass index (BMI) > 34.9 kg•m-2, current cigarette smokers, individuals with cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic disease, pain or discomfort in the chest, dizziness or heart murmur.

individuals taking medication known to interfere with lipid metabolism, females who were pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the following five months

Treatment and study plan

Walking 45 mins 2x p.w.

Behavioral

Primary outcomes

  1. Aerobic Fitness

  2. Resting Blood Pressure

  3. Body Fatness

  4. Blood Lipids

  5. C-reactive Protein

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Ulster

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of a Worksite Based Walking Programme on Cardiovascular Risk in Previously Sedentary Civil Servants

Important dates

Study start
2002
Study completion
2003
First posted
Jan 31, 2006
Registry last updated
Jul 21, 2006

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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