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Taking people in CanadaNo phase

Short Walks to Break Up Sitting in People With COPD

Tests short hourly walks during long sitting in adults with COPD.

Key facts

Who runs it
University of British Columbia
Where
Kelowna, CanadaSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Micro-doses of Physical Activity for COPD
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
20 people, planned
Started
12 Oct 2022
Planned end
1 Sept 2026
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Microdoses of activity
Record updated
4 April 2025

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for non-smoking adults with stable moderate-to-severe COPD. It studies whether short walks break up the harm of long sitting on blood vessels.

Sex
Men and women can join.
Disease stage
Stable moderate-to-severe COPD (post bronchodilator FEV1/FVC<0.7 and below the lower limit of normal, FEV1 30% to 80% predicted), with no flare-up for more than 6 weeks.
Earlier treatment
People doing structured exercise training or pulmonary rehabilitation cannot join. People on anticoagulant medication cannot join.
Biomarker or test result
Lung function test results as described in the disease stage. Blood vessel ultrasound measurements must be obtainable.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Doing structured exercise training or pulmonary rehabilitation
  • History of deep vein thrombosis
  • Taking anticoagulant medication
  • Advanced heart or brain blood vessel disease (heart failure, previous stroke or heart attack)
  • Diabetes

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 8 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Non-smoking (>6 months) patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD (post bronchodilator forced expired volume in 1 sec/forced vital capacity<0.7 and <lower limit of normal, 30%<Forced Expired Volume in 1 sec<80% predicted and exacerbation free for >6 weeks) will be recruited for the study

Who cannot take part

  • are on anticoagulant medication
  • have advanced cardiac or cerebrovascular disease (i.e. heart failure, previous stroke or myocardial infarction)
  • have a history of deep vein thrombosis
  • have diabetes
  • performing structured exercise training (or pulmonary rehabilitation)
  • have musculoskeletal contraindications that limit their ability to perform physical activity
  • vascular ultrasound measurements cannot be obtained

Where in Canada

  • University of British ColumbiaKelowna, CanadaContact: Neil Eves, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of the lungs that makes it hard for people to breath. Those with COPD spend considerably more time sitting and lying and less time performing physical activity than healthy individuals. Those who are the most sedentary have a greater risk of heart and blood vessel disease, which may lead to an early death. This project will investigate the effect of sitting still for 3 hours on blood vessel health in individuals with COPD. It will also investigate whether breaking up the amount of time patients sit with regular short bouts of walking (5 minutes each hour) at a comfortable pace chosen by the patient can have a positive effect on maintaining the health of their blood vessels. It is hypothesized that blood vessel health will be worse after 3 hours of sitting compared to when the sitting is broken up by short bouts of walking.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Microdoses of ActivityTreatment being tested

    5-min bouts of walking will break up 3 hours of sitting at minutes 30, 90 and 150.

  • ControlNo study treatment, for comparison

    Prolonged sitting (3 hours)

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Can Micro-doses of Physical Activity Offset the Negative Cardiovascular Consequences of Being Sedentary in Patients With COPD?
Plain-language title
Short Walks to Break Up Sitting in People With COPDGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Record updated
4 April 2025