Effects of Exercise Snacks on Clinical and Health Outcomes

Physical inactivity and prolonged sedentary behavior are major health concerns, especially for individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes and prediabetes. Many patients have difficulty following traditional exercise recommendations due to time constraints, limited physical capacity, comorbidities, or lack of access to exercise facilities. Therefore, new and more practical exercise strategies are needed. "Exercise Snacks" is a novel physical activity approach that involves short bouts of exercise performed multiple times throughout the day. Each session is brief and easy to integrate into daily life, such as performing short periods of resistance exercises, brisk walking, stair climbing, or other simple activities. This approach may improve exercise adherence and provide health benefits without requiring long exercise sessions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an Exercise Snacks intervention in sedentary adults with diabetes or prediabetes and to explore its potential effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health, physical function, and body composition. In this study, sedentary adults aged 18-65 years with diabetes or prediabetes will participate in a 12-week study and will be randomly assigned to either an Exercise Snacks group or a control group. Participants in the Exercise Snacks group will perform short exercise sessions lasting approximately 3-5 minutes, including simple resistance exercises and short aerobic activities. These exercise sessions will be performed several times per day and integrated into daily routines. The control group will maintain their usual lifestyle without additional exercise intervention. Participants may use wearable devices or mobile applications to receive reminders and record exercise activity. Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention to evaluate physical activity adherence, physical function, body composition, blood pressure, blood glucose, and other cardiovascular and metabolic health indicators. This study aims to determine whether short, frequent exercise sessions are a practical and effective alternative to traditional exercise recommendations for sedentary individuals with diabetes or prediabetes. The results of this study may help develop more feasible lifestyle intervention strategies to improve long-term exercise adherence and overall health in individuals with chronic diseases.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 to 65 years. 2. Diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) or prediabetes (HbA1c ≥ 5.7%). 3. Engaging in less than 1 hour of physical activity per week in the past 3 months, assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). 4. Sedentary behavior defined as sitting for ≥ 6 hours per day or walking fewer than 5,000 steps per day on average. 5. Able to use a smartphone and operate related mobile applications. 6. Able to provide informed consent and willing to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of heart disease, kidney disease, pregnancy, cancer, lower limb joint disease, or psychiatric disorders. 2. Musculoskeletal or neurological disorders that limit independent physical activity or exercise. 3. Acute or terminal illness that may affect participation in the study, such as ongoing cancer treatment, acute myocardial infarction, acute stroke, or receiving palliative care. 4. Unstable or uncontrolled cardiovascular, metabolic, or respiratory diseases, such as unstable angina, uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 180 mmHg), heart failure, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or acute exacerbation of respiratory disease. 5. Presence of metal implants in the body. 6. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m². 7. Unable to use a smartphone or mobile applications.