NCT06952348Recruiting
HYPERtension Reduction Through WALKing Stairs Versus Brisk Walking
HYPERtension Reduction Through WALKing Stairs Versus Brisk Walking in Individuals With Increased Cardiometabolic Risk - The HYPERWALK Randomized Controlled Trial
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 8 Dec 2025
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This clinical trial investigates whether incorporating stair walking into daily routines improves physical health in adults at risk of lifestyle-related conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Participants will be randomized into three groups: (1) stair walking combined with brisk walking, (2) brisk walking alone, and (3) a control group receiving standard lifestyle advice without specific exercise instructions, stratified by age (\<65 y/o, v \>=65) and site. The primary objective is to assess whether the combination of stair and brisk walking leads to greater reductions in systolic blood pressure compared to brisk walking alone or standard care. Secondary outcomes include changes in cardiometabolic risk factors. Participants in the stair walking group will be instructed to climb ≥250 steps per day (\~5.5 minutes/day or \~37.5 minutes/week), or complete an equivalent elevation via inclined slopes, along with ≥75 minutes of brisk walking per week. Those in the brisk walking group will walk ≥150 minutes per week. The control group will receive general lifestyle advice but no tailored physical activity goals or feedback. Participants in both active groups will aim to double their baseline activity levels. Physical activity will be continuously monitored using wearable devices. The active groups will receive personalized feedback and motivational support throughout the 6-month intervention period. If effective, this study may offer a simple, scalable, and low-cost intervention model for use in clinical and public health settings, emphasizing personalized goals, remote monitoring, and behavioral support.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 450 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 23 Apr 2025
- Start date
- 27 Nov 2025
- Primary completion date
- Dec 2028
- Lead sponsor
- Karolinska Institutet
- Diseases
- Obesity, High blood pressure
- NCT number
- NCT06952348
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 450
- From 27 Nov 2025 to the primary completion date, Dec 2028
- 4 sites in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Acute pulmonary embolism, myocarditis, pericarditis, or systemic infection (e.g., fever, muscle pain, lymphadenopathy)
- Severe hypertension (Grade 3: SBP \>180 mmHg or DBP \>110 mmHg), regardless of symptoms
- Unstable coronary artery disease (including unstable angina, suboptimally treated stable angina, or recent myocardial infarction \<8 weeks)
- Symptomatic, uncontrolled arrhythmia
- Symptomatic, uncontrolled heart failure
- Other exclusion criteria:
- Any condition that may interfere with protocol compliance (e.g., severe mental illness or cognitive impairment)
Other
- Medical contraindications to physical activity (based on FYSS 2021, p. 182):
- Severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis
- Suspected or known aortic dissection
- Implanted pacemaker or ICD
- Pregnancy
- Smartphone incompatibility with Fitrockr© app (iOS \<16 or Android OS \<10)
- Inability to understand Swedish or English
- Inability to walk stairs
Who the study is looking for
- Men and women aged 35 years or older with increased cardiometabolic risk, defined by all of the following:
- Clinically confirmed hypertension, with or without antihypertensive treatment, as documented in the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
- Overweight or obesity, defined as BMI between 27 and 40.
- Physically inactive lifestyle, defined as either:
- Light intensity or inactive category on the Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS), or
- Light intensity or inactive category in the physical activity section of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare Lifestyle Questionnaire.
Age in the registry: 35 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (4)
Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liljeholmen Primary Care Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stockholm | Sweden | Recruiting |
| Karolinska universitetssjukhuset - Huddinge Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stockholm | Sweden | Not yet recruiting |
| Södertälje sjukhus Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stockholm | Sweden | Not yet recruiting |
| Södersjukhuset Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stockholm | Sweden | Not yet recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.