ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03409393COPUSUpdated Sep 14, 2018

Feasibility and Relevance of High-Intensity Functional Training in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis

An interventional study of The COPUS intervention and Usual Care (OPUS treatment) in Schizophrenia, Schizotypal Disorder and First Episode Psychosis, sponsored by Rigshospitalet, Denmark. Completed at 1 site in Denmark. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-09-14.

Sponsored by Rigshospitalet, Denmark · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
27
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 35 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 79 studies in Schizophrenia with a site in Denmark — 10 open to participants now, 12 under way, none of them phase 3. Schizophrenia · Denmark.

Enrollment
61st of 67
27 · median 108
Started
2018
with 1 other
No phase
38 of 79
4 open now
Registered
52nd of 79
by date

Among the 79 studies in Schizophrenia with a site in Denmark, this one is the 61st largest by enrollment of the 67 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 2 that started in 2018, is one of 38 with no phase, and was the 52nd registered.

Schizophrenia

3,563 studies on the registry are indexed under Schizophrenia; 491 are open to participants now.

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Open to participants now

10 of the 79 studies in Schizophrenia with a site in Denmark are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:

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All 10 open studies →

A study can be open while its sites in Denmark have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in Denmark →

Who these studies take

Of the 331 Schizophrenia studies recruiting now, 63 (19%) set no upper age limit and 257 (78%) stop at 75 or younger; 42 take children under 18; 83 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years to 35 Years · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

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02

Study summary

The aim of the COPUS study is to investigate, whether it is possible to recruit and retain young people with first-episode psychosis, to an 8 week supervised High-Intensity Functional Training intervention (HIFT) (i.e. COPUS Intervention) and to investigate if oxygen uptake, body composition and physical function improves following participation in the intervention.

Read the detailed description

The introduction of specialized early intervention (SEI) is stated to be the most successful recent addition to the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses. In Denmark, SEI teams called OPUS, offer early intervention treatment (i.e. OPUS treatment) to young patients between 18 and 35 years with first-episode psychosis. The OPUS treatment consists of three main pillars: modified assertive treatment, family involvement, and social skill training. OPUS treatment is delivered via multidisciplinary teams including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, and vocational therapists.

Despite considerable progress in treatment of schizophrenia, people diagnosed with schizophrenia live significantly shorter lives, compared to the rest of the population. The higher mortality rate can be partly explained by an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including metabolic syndrome, which may be documented already in the first months after start of medical anti-psychotic treatment. It is widely acknowledged that physical activity constitutes a cornerstone in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, despite the influence of non-modifiable factors (e.g. genetics), it is reasonable to assume that physical activity can promote health and prevent somatic disease in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

However, currently, physical activity is not included in early intervention treatment of schizophrenia. Moreover, people with schizophrenia may experience anxiety, loss of motivation, apathy and social isolation, which can constitute significant barriers for adherence to physical activity. Existing knowledge in relation to physical activity behaviour change and adoption is therefore difficult to transfer directly to people with schizophrenia. Development and testing of new initiatives, which can be integrated into clinical practice, and offered complementary to SEI are thus warranted.

Against this background, the aim of the current study (called the COPUS study) is to investigate, whether it is possible to recruit and retain young people with first-episode psychosis, to an 8-weeks supervised High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) intervention (i.e. COPUS intervention) and to investigate if oxygen uptake, body composition and physical function changes following participation in the COPUS intervention. The study is organized as a randomized mixed methods feasibility study.

The COPUS intervention is offered in a private fitness centre in the local community. The intervention contains three training sessions of one hour duration per week, with the recommendation to the participants, to take part in at least two sessions per week.

The investigators aim to include 30 participants whom will be randomly assigned (1:1) to either an intervention group receiving the COPUS intervention plus usual care (i.e. standard OPUS treatment) or a control group including only receiving usual care (i.e. standard OPUS treatment). Participants allocated to the control group are offered the COPUS intervention after eight weeks.

The design and choice of methods reflect the complexity of the intervention (combination of social and physical elements that are difficult to control and isolate) and the desire to establish a scientifically informed basis for a subsequent, up-scaled, pragmatic randomized multicentre study.

03

Conditions studied

  • Schizophrenia
  • Schizotypal Disorder
  • First Episode Psychosis
  • Psychotic Disorders
  • Schizoaffective Disorder

Keywords

  • Human
  • Denmark
  • Adult
  • Adolescent
  • Young Adult
  • Male
  • Female
  • Physical Activity
  • Maximum Oxygen Consumption
  • Resistance Training
  • High-Intensity Functional Training
  • Aerobic Exercise
  • Motivation
  • Feasibility
  • Relevance
  • Health Behavior
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 35 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18 and 35 years
  • Diagnosed with Schizophrenia or Schizotypal disorders
  • Undergoing OPUS treatment for at least 6 months or stabilized medical anti-psychotic treatment
  • Danish speaking

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Physical for physical activity
  • Pregnant (self-reported)
  • Unable to give adequately
  • Mentally disabled
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
27 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intervention Group

    The COPUS intervention plus usual care (OPUS treatment).

    Other: The COPUS intervention · Other: Usual Care (OPUS treatment)

  • Other
    Control Group

    Usual care (OPUS treatment).

    Other: Usual Care (OPUS treatment)

Interventions

  • OtherThe COPUS intervention

    The COPUS intervention consists of 8 weeks of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT). The frequency of the training is 3 sessions per week and the duration is one hour per session. The intervention is group-based and supervised. Each training session includes warm-up (15 min), followed by 30 minutes of HIFT based on a range of varied functional exercises, including elements of strength training and aerobic exercise. The sessions are supervised by a trained physiotherapist and exercise physiologist supported by 2 two trained bachelor students in Sports Science.

  • OtherUsual Care (OPUS treatment)

    Usual care include specialised early intervention treatment (OPUS treatment) and consists of three main pillars: modified assertive treatment, family involvement, and social skill training. OPUS treatment is delivered via multidisciplinary teams include psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, and vocational therapists. All team members, except for the psychiatrist, function as case managers. The ratio of patients to case managers must not exceed 12:1.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Assessment of changes in Physical Fitness (VO2max)

    Assessed by the maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilize during a specified period of intense exercise.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Physical Fitness (VO2max) at 2 months.

  2. Recruitment Rate

    Registration of patients enrolled in the study compared to the total number of eligible patients.

    Time frame: Registration of recruitment occurs in the 4 weeks prior to the baseline tests.

  3. Retention Rate

    Registration of the participants attendance in the High-Intensity Functional Training compared with the number of possible training sessions during the period.

    Time frame: From baseline up to 4 months.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Assessment of changes in body weight

    The participants are placed on a bioelectric impedance scale which is a non-invasive valid measurement method for determining body weight.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Body Weight at 2 months.

  2. Assessment of changes in fat percentage

    The participants are placed on a bioelectric impedance scale which is a non-invasive valid measurement method for determining fat percentage.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Fat Percentage at 2 months.

  3. Assessment of changes in bone mass

    The participants are placed on a bioelectric impedance scale which is a non-invasive valid measurement method for determining bone mass.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Bone Mass at 2 months.

  4. Assessment of changes in muscle mass

    The participants are placed on a bioelectric impedance scale which is a non-invasive valid measurement method for determining muscle mass.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Muscle Mass at 2 months.

  5. Assessment of changes in Visceral Fat

    The participants are placed on a bioelectric impedance scale which is a non-invasive valid measurement method for determining visceral fat.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Visceral Fat at 2 months.

  6. Assessment of changes in Resting Blood Pressure

    The participants' Resting Blood Pressure are tested according to the American Heart Association practice guidelines for blood pressure Measurement.

    Time frame: Change form Baseline Resting Blood Pressure at 2 months.

  7. Assessment of changes in countermovement jump height

    Determination of potential changes in countermovement jump height measured using the non-invasive Optojump system (www.optojump.com)

    Time frame: Change form Baseline Jump Height at 2 months.

  8. Assessment of changes in Leg Muscle Strength

    Determination of potential changes in leg muscle strength by the non-invasive 30-Second Chair Stand test. The test measures how many times the participant can reach a full standing position from a sitting position in 30 seconds. Score range from 0 and up with a higher score being considered as a better outcome.

    Time frame: Change form Baseline Leg Muscle Strength at 2 months.

  9. Assessment of changes in Hand Grip Strength

    Determination of potential changes in grip strength measured quantitatively using a hand dynamometer.

    Time frame: Change form Baseline Hand Grip Strength at 2 months.

  10. Assessment of changes in Balance

    Determination of potential changes in balance using the Flamingo Balance Test. The participant stands on a 3 centimeter wide beam while holding the instructors hand. The tests then measures how many times the participant loses balance in 60 seconds.Score range from 0 and up with a lower score being considered as a better outcome.

    Time frame: Change form Baseline balance at 2 months.

  11. Assessment of changes in Self-reported Physical Activity Behavior

    Assesment of changes in self-reported physical activity behaviour using the Physical Activity Scale (PAS). The PAS measures self-reported amount of time spent on different physical activities, such as sports, work, and leisure time during 24 hours on an average weekday. The activities are organized in nine different metabolic equivalent (MET) levels ranging from sleep/rest (0.9 METs) to high-intensity physical activities (\>6 METs). MET is the Metabolic Equivalent of Task and is a physiological measure expressing the energy cost of physical activities and is defined as the ratio of metabolic rate (and therefore the rate of energy consumption) during a specific physical activity to a reference metabolic rate. Therefore, higher MET scores in the Physical Activity Scale indicates a better outcome than lower scores.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline Physical Activity Behaviour at 2 months.

Other outcomes

  1. Monitoring of training intensity (for the Intervention Group only)

    Determination of whether the training intensity is adequate to increase Physical Fitness, the workload during training is continuously measured. A validated device called Actiheart which is both an accelerometer and a heart rate monitor is used to measure workload.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 months

  2. Adverse events

    We will continuously record adverse events that may arise as a result of the intervention, including physical damage, discomfort and any deterioration of symptoms. The adverse events will be registred both in the intervention period and in the Control Group training period.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 months

  3. Resource Consumption

    In order to evaluate the sustainability of the intervention, we want to register how much time (in minutes) OPUS staff spends on the project

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • OPUS
    Brøndby, 2605, Denmark
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Midtgaard J, Schnor H, Bjerre ED, Jespersen T, Jelsoe N, Frolund N, Seier S, Ronbog JW, Nordsborg NB, Ebdrup BH. Exercise training complementary to specialised early intervention in patients with first-episode psychosis: a feasibility randomised trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2021 Aug 19;7(1):162. doi: 10.1186/s40814-021-00900-5. PubMed 34412705 ↗
  • Larsen LQ, Schnor H, Tersbol BP, Ebdrup BH, Nordsborg NB, Midtgaard J. The impact of exercise training complementary to early intervention in patients with first-episode psychosis: a qualitative sub-study from a randomized controlled feasibility trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Jun 21;19(1):192. doi: 10.1186/s12888-019-2179-3. PubMed 31226959 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jan 2018 to primary completion in Jun 2018, 4 months.

Of 753 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Schizophrenia, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 56. This study's 4 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 766 studies reached it within 32 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 56.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 4, 2018
First posted
Jan 24, 2018
StartActual
Jan 22, 2018
Primary completionActual
Jun 20, 2018
CompletionActual
Aug 1, 2018
Last update
Sep 14, 2018
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 14, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03409393
Collaborators
University of Copenhagen, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region, Denmark
Responsible party
Julie Midtgaard (Associate Professor, Rigshospitalet, Denmark) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 24, 2018
Start date
Jan 22, 2018
Primary completion
Jun 20, 2018
Completion
Aug 1, 2018
Last update
Sep 14, 2018

Study contacts

Julie Midtgaard, Ph.D.
principal investigator · The University Hospitals Centre for Health Research (UCSF) / Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet)
Helle Schnor, Ph.D.
study director · Mental health services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Psychiatric Center Glostrup

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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