Uninterrupted and interrupted sitting in long COVID
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of uninterrupted and interrupted sitting on vascular health and cognitive function in people with Long COVID
IRAS ID
309606
Contact name
James Faulkner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Winchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
People who sit uninterrupted for prolonged periods time have been shown to have poorer cardiovascular health compared to those that regularly interrupt it (e.g. standing up and moving). Cognition and brain function has also been shown to be impaired following uninterrupted sitting. Research has shown that interrupting sitting with exercise improves cardiovascular health in healthy men and women (Paterson et al., 2020) cognition, feeling of fatigue and cerebral oxygenation (Fryer et al., 2021). Low intensity physical activity can help people with Long COVID by reducing feelings of fatigue (Daynes et al., 2021).
Individuals with long COVID have symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog. As such, people with long COVID may spend more time sitting during the day and demonstrate worsened cardiovascular and cognitive health. As such, there may be greater levels of cognitive decline and worsened cardiovascular health outcomes. In this study we are interested in assessing the cardiovascular health and brain function of people with (and without) long COVID before and after uninterrupted and interrupted sitting.
Interruptions will include walking, heel raises and squat movements every 30 minutes for a 120 minute period. To ensure external validity of the project, all interruptions are functional activities which can be reproducible in a home environment. Eligible participants will be aged over 18 years, have displayed symptoms of long COVID for more than 4 weeks, and have been diagnosed with long COVID via their GP or through a long COVID clinic. Involvement in the study will include three visits to a physiology laboratory at the University of Winchester or University of Gloucestershire. Involvement can be expected to last up to 40 days to account for the necessary time required between laboratory visits.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0120
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion