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Community Exercise Program for People with Several Chronic Diseases

Tests a community exercise program in adults aged 50 and older with chronic conditions.

Key facts

Who runs it
Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Centro Académico de Investigação e Formação Biomédica do Algarv
Where
Faro, PortugalSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Community Physical Exercise Program in Chronic Disease
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
150 people, planned
Started
Oct 2026
Expected to end
Apr 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Physical Exercise
Record updated
10 September 2026

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 adults aged 50 or older who have at least 2 chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis or overweight. They take part in a community exercise program.

Age
50 years or older
Sex
All sexes
Disease stage
At least 2 of these: prior cardiovascular disease (more than 12 months ago), high cardiovascular risk, past stroke with treated cause, type 2 diabetes (more than 6 months), osteoarthritis, or overweight/obesity (BMI 27 kg/m2 or more).
Earlier treatment
Medications related to these conditions must have been stable for at least 3 months.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Moderate to severe memory or thinking problems
  • Uncontrolled heart disease or severe angina (class III or IV)
  • Pacemaker
  • Recent use of insulin or sulphonylureas (less than 3 months)
  • Terminal illness

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 21 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Adults aged ≥50 years
  • At least 2 of the following: Prior cardiovascular disease (>12 months); High cardiovascular risk (SCORE2 or SCORE2 O.P.); Post-stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) with treated etiology; Type 2 Diabetes (> 6 months, ADA); Osteoarthristis (clinical signs/symptoms, NICE); Overweight/Obesity (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2)
  • Autonomous walking
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Stable medications for ≥ 3 months (related to diagnoses of interest)
  • Physical activity below WHO recommendations
  • No contraindications to exercise (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal) according to ACSS

Who cannot take part

  • Moderate to severe cognitive impairment - Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
  • Type 2 Myocardial Infarction
  • Class III or IV angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society)
  • Class III or IV angina (New York Heart Association)
  • Uncontrolled CVD: symptomatic arrhythmias with hemodynamic compromise; severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis; uncontrolled symptomatic heart failure; endocarditis, pericarditis, or active myocarditis; acute aortic syndrome; suspected or known dissecting aneurysm; acute systemic infections
  • Neurological disorders affecting gait
  • Severe diabetes-related complications contraindicating exercise (poor metabolic control, diabetic foot, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, and diabetic autonomic neuropathy)
  • Untreated stroke etiology: indication for revascularization; non-anticoagulated atrial fibrillation; intracranial atherosclerotic occlusive disease
  • Musculoskeletal or ocular conditions preventing strength training (acute herniated disc, fractures, recent spinal surgery, glaucoma with elevated intraocular pressure)
  • Terminal illness
  • Pacemaker user
  • Recent use of insulin or sulphonylureas (< 3 months)
  • Inability to understand basic oral or written Portuguese
  • Participation in supervised dietary intervention

Where in Portugal

  • Algarve Biomedical CenterFaro, PortugalContact: Marta S Botelho, PhDNot yet recruiting

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

This study focuses on promoting physical activity (PA) through the implementation of a Community Physical Exercise Program for Chronic Diseases (CPEP-CD), targeting individuals aged 50 years and older with at least two of the following conditions: cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular disease or risk (CVD), overweight, diabetes mellitus (DM), and musculoskeletal diseases. The primary objective is to improve muscle and cardiorespiratory health and well-being, while also contributing to a more objective and evidence-based exercise prescription for these pathological conditions.

Read full original descriptionShow less

Population ageing is a global challenge associated with an increased prevalence of chronic diseases that compromise quality of life (QoL). A sedentary lifestyle is linked to declines in muscle function and cardiorespiratory fitness and is considered a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Consequently, physical exercise is widely recommended as a key non-pharmacological intervention across multiple chronic diseases.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, regular PA is a protective factor in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and DM. In addition, PA provides mental health benefits, supports healthy weight maintenance, and enhances overall well-being. In adults, regular PA is associated with reductions in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and the incidence of hypertension.

Within this context, the aim of this project is to implement a community-based physical exercise program for individuals with chronic disease and multimorbidity, focusing on CVD and cerebrovascular disease or risk, DM, and OA. The program integrates existing exercise prescription guidelines while personalizing exercise progression according to both disease-specific and multimorbidity profiles. The primary outcomes include improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, bone health, functional capacity, and QoL. Additionally, through individualized training monitoring, this study seeks to establish an exercise prescription tailored to the most prevalent combinations of chronic diseases, thereby providing more objective and practical guidance for family physicians, exercise professionals, and rehabilitation specialists, and supporting more personalized and targeted exercise-based strategies for chronic disease prevention and management.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Community Physical Exercise Program GroupTreatment being tested

    The participants receive a twelve weeks of a supervised physical exercise program, based on aerobic and strength training.

    Treatment: Physical Exercise

  • Control GroupNo study treatment, for comparison

    Participants do not receive any intervention.

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
Effectiveness of Community Physical Exercise Program in Chronic Disease (CPEP - Chronic Disease), a Clinical Randomized Controlled Trial
Plain-language title
Community Exercise Program for People with Several Chronic DiseasesGenerated 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
10 September 2026