Personalized daily step targets to change body fat and cardiometabolic risk in adults with overweight or obesity
Prescription of Step Counts for Targeted Changes in Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk in Overweight/Obese Adults
This project will test if giving personalized daily step targets based on body fat helps adults with overweight or obesity change body composition and lower cardiometabolic risk.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 200 (estimated) |
| Ages | 20 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Kennesaw State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Kennesaw, Georgia) |
| Trial ID | NCT07221279 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Researchers will measure body composition and key cardiometabolic risk markers while participants wear inexpensive triaxial pedometers for four weeks to record daily steps. Step counts will be expressed as steps per kilogram of fat mass per day and related to body composition and cardiometabolic profiles across four age groups (20-39, 40-59, 60-79, and 80+ years). The goal is to build a model that prescribes step targets that predictably change body weight and cardiometabolic risk while participants eat ad libitum. Participants will be generally healthy overweight or obese adults who are sedentary or who walk but have not done structured exercise recently.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are otherwise-healthy adults age 20 or older with overweight or obesity who are sedentary or only walk (no recent structured exercise) and have had stable weight over the past six months.
Not a fit: People with diagnosed cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, or pulmonary disease, cognitive dysfunction, current smokers, pregnant people, those taking glucose-regulating or metabolism-altering medications, or those with recent substantial weight change are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could offer a simple, low-cost way to set walking targets that produce predictable improvements in body composition and cardiometabolic health.
How similar studies have performed: Pilot data and prior step-count research show links between walking and body fat/CMR, but prescribing steps normalized to fat mass for predictable weight and risk changes is a novel, less-tested approach.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * ages of 20 years and older * otherwise healthy adults on prescription medication to treat hypertension or osteoarthritic conditions are eligible to participate * sedentary people, or people who report engaging in regular walking (no regular structured exercise for at least the past six months) * relatively stable weight over the previous 6 months (less than 5% fluctuation in body weight) Exclusion Criteria: * any diagnosed cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, or pulmonary disease, or any diagnosed cognitive dysfunction * women who are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant * people taking prescription medication to regulate plasma glucose, or that affect metabolism (e.g., thyroid medication) * people who have undergone an increase or decrease in body weight of ≥ 5% over the previous six months * current smokers * people who have engaged in a program of structured exercise other than walking (e.g., weight training, jogging, swimming, cycling) within that last six months * older adults (60-plus years old) who score \> 4 on the Short Blessed Test for geriatric cognitive impairment during the first lab visit will be ineligible to participate
Where this trial is running
Kennesaw, Georgia
- Kennesaw State Universityh — Kennesaw, Georgia, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Robert Buresh, PhD — Kennesaw State University
- Study coordinator: Robert Buresh, PhD
- Email: rburesh@kennesaw.edu
- Phone: 470-578-6488
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.