Impact of a Physical Activity Intervention on Sleep Quality, Mental and Physical Well-Being in Health Sciences Students

University of Sfax

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Well-being; Physical Activity; Sleep Quality; Sedentary Lifestlye

Treatments: Behavioral: Weekend Warrior Physical Activity Program; Behavioral: Regular Weekly Physical Activity Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07140185

FMS110590-80-25

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of a regular weekly physical activity program versus a "Weekend Warrior" activity pattern on sleep quality, physical well-being, and mental well-being in sedentary university students. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the intervention groups or to a control group and assessed at baseline and after the intervention.

Full description

Sedentary behavior is a growing concern among university students and is associated with poor sleep quality, fatigue, and lower mental well-being. Physical activity interventions can improve these outcomes, but the optimal frequency and pattern of activity remain unclear. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate and compare the effects of a regular weekly physical activity schedule with those of a "Weekend Warrior" pattern, in which the recommended amount of exercise is concentrated in two sessions per week. Sedentary university students will be randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups or to a control group for an 8-10 week period. Sleep quality (measured by actigraphy), physical well-being, and mental well-being will be assessed before and after the intervention. The findings of this study may help to inform public health recommendations for physical activity patterns among young adults.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18 to 25 years.
• Low level of physical activity, determined using the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) according to its scoring thresholds.
• Provided written informed consent.
• Available to participate in the entire intervention program and all planned assessments.

Exclusion criteria

• Current use of medications that may affect sleep quality or alertness (e.g., sedative hypnotics, sedative antidepressants, psychostimulants).
• History of serious medical conditions or any contraindication to moderate physical activity.
• Morbid obesity.
• Current pregnancy during the study period.
• Participation in another intervention program simultaneously.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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100 participants in 3 patient groups

Arm 1 - Regular Weekly Physical Activity

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will engage in structured physical activity sessions three times per week, each lasting 50 minutes, over a period of 8 weeks. The sessions include a combination of aerobic exercises, supervised by trained instructors. The goal is to distribute the recommended weekly activity evenly across the week.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Regular Weekly Physical Activity Program

Arm 2 - Weekend Warrior Physical Activity

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will perform the same total weekly physical activity as Arm 1, but concentrated in 2 sessions during the weekend. Each session lasts approximately 75 minutes and includes aerobic exercises, supervised by the same trained instructors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Weekend Warrior Physical Activity Program

Arm 3 - Control / No Intervention

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group will maintain their usual lifestyle without any structured physical activity intervention during the study period. After study completion, they may be offered the Regular Weekly physical activity program.