ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07676292SUSTAIN-EXUpdated Jun 30, 2026

Effects of Sustainable Exercise Habits in University Students

An observational study in Sedentary Lifestyle and Physical Activity, sponsored by Yeditepe University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 25 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-30.

Sponsored by Yeditepe University · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jul 2026, 3 months ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
140
Ages
18 Years to 25 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This cross-sectional comparative study aims to evaluate the effects of sustainable exercise habits on cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality in university students.

The main hypotheses are:

H0: There is no difference in cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality between university students with sustainable exercise habits and those with a sedentary lifestyle.

H1: There is a difference in cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality between university students with sustainable exercise habits and those with a sedentary lifestyle.

Read the detailed description

Healthy university students aged 18-25 who meet the inclusion criteria will be included in this comparative cross-sectional study to demonstrate the effects of sustainable exercise habits on cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality.

Participants will be divided into two different groups based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) results: the Sustainable Exercise Group and the Sedentary Group. The Sustainable Exercise Group will consist of students who have been performing at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week regularly for at least the last 6 months. The Sedentary Group will include individuals with a weekly physical activity duration of less than 60 minutes or those without a regular exercise habit for the last 6 months.

No intervention or experimental procedure will be applied to the participants. All assessments will be prepared as online questionnaires and sent to the participants via Google Forms.

Before the evaluation, participants will be informed about the study and their consent will be obtained online. Following this, the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity routines, and sedentary behaviors will be questioned with a structured evaluation form. The physical activity levels, body awareness, decision-making styles, critical thinking dispositions, and sleep quality of the participants will be evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, Body Awareness Questionnaire, Melbourne Decision Making Scale, Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively.

02

Conditions studied

  • Sedentary Lifestyle
  • Physical Activity

Keywords

  • University Students
  • Sustainable Exercise
  • Sedentary Behavior
  • Cognitive Awareness
  • Decision Making
  • Sleep Quality
  • body awareness
03

In context

Sedentary Behavior

1,273 studies on the registry are indexed under Sedentary Behavior; 300 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 140 is below the median of 158 across 176 observational studies indexed under Sedentary Behavior.

Browse Sedentary Behavior studies →

Lead sponsor

Yeditepe University is the lead sponsor of 131 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 25 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

This study will include healthy university students aged 18 to 25 who are currently studying at universities in Turkey. The study population is divided into two main groups based on their physical activity levels: a sustainable exercise group consisting of students who exercise regularly, and a sedentary group consisting of students who do not exercise regularly.

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

  • Being a university student aged between 18 and 25 years
  • Volunteering to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having any diagnosed psychiatric disorder
  • Regularly using medications that affect sleep patterns or cognitive functions
  • Having been diagnosed with a sleep disorder
  • Having a history of substance or alcohol addiction
  • Having had an acute illness within the last 1 month
  • Having undergone surgery within the last 6 months
05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
140 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Sustainable Exercise Group

    University students who have been performing at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week regularly for at least the last 6 months.

    Other: Survey-based Assessment

  • Sedentary Group

    University students with a weekly physical activity duration of less than 60 minutes or those without a regular exercise habit for the last 6 months.

    Other: Survey-based Assessment

Interventions

  • OtherSurvey-based Assessment

    No pharmacological or physical intervention is applied. Participants are assigned to groups based on their self-reported physical activity habits. Assessment consists of an online survey battery to evaluate cognitive awareness, body awareness, and sleep quality.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) - Short Form

    The IPAQ-Short Form will be used to determine the physical activity levels of the participants. This questionnaire consists of 7 questions and provides information about the duration of vigorous activity, moderate activity, walking, and sitting performed in the last 7 days. The data obtained will be calculated in MET-minutes/week. Based on the results, participants will be classified as physically inactive, having low activity level, or adequate activity level.

    Time frame: 8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

Secondary outcomes

  1. Body Awareness Questionnaire

    This questionnaire will be used to measure individuals' awareness of their non-pathological bodily processes, such as sensitivity to bodily rhythms, abnormal changes, and variations in body functions. It consists of 18 items. A high total score indicates that the individual has a high level of body awareness.

    Time frame: 8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

  2. Melbourne Decision Making Scale

    This scale will be used to evaluate participants' decision-making self-esteem and decision-making styles. The scale consists of two parts: the first part measures self-esteem in decision making, and the second part measures decision-making styles including careful, avoidant, procrastinating, and panic decision making. It includes a total of 22 items.

    Time frame: 8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

  3. Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale

    This scale will be used to determine the critical thinking dispositions of the university students. It is a measurement tool consisting of 28 items that include sub-dimensions such as reasoning, searching, evidence gathering, and open-mindedness.

    Time frame: 8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

  4. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    The PSQI will be used to evaluate the participants' sleep quality and sleep disturbance levels over the past month. The scale consists of 19 self-report questions evaluating 7 components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. A total score of 5 or higher is evaluated as poor sleep quality.

    Time frame: 8-week period between April 2026 and May 2026

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Passarello N, Varini L, Liparoti M, Troisi Lopez E, Sorrentino P, Alivernini F, Gigliotta O, Lucidi F, Mandolesi L. Boosting effect of regular sport practice in young adults: Preliminary results on cognitive and emotional abilities. Front Psychol. 2022 Sep 28;13:957281. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.957281. eCollection 2022. PubMed 36248595 ↗
  • Caspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Rep. 1985 Mar-Apr;100(2):126-31. PubMed 3920711 ↗
  • Peterson NE, Sirard JR, Kulbok PA, DeBoer MD, Erickson JM. Sedentary behavior and physical activity of young adult university students. Res Nurs Health. 2018 Feb;41(1):30-38. doi: 10.1002/nur.21845. Epub 2018 Jan 9. PubMed 29315656 ↗
  • Di Benedetto M, Towt CJ, Jackson ML. A Cluster Analysis of Sleep Quality, Self-Care Behaviors, and Mental Health Risk in Australian University Students. Behav Sleep Med. 2020 May-Jun;18(3):309-320. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2019.1580194. Epub 2019 Mar 1. PubMed 30821507 ↗
  • Tanik F, Ozer Kaya D. Relationships Between Function, Pain Severity and Psychological and Cognitive Levels in People With Chronic Neck Pain: Cross-Sectional Study. Pain Manag Nurs. 2024 Dec;25(6):645-651. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.06.008. Epub 2024 Jul 12. PubMed 39003128 ↗
  • Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989 May;28(2):193-213. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4. PubMed 2748771 ↗
  • Mehling WE, Gopisetty V, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Hecht FM, Stewart A. Body awareness: construct and self-report measures. PLoS One. 2009;4(5):e5614. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005614. Epub 2009 May 19. PubMed 19440300 ↗
  • Memon AR, Gupta CC, Crowther ME, Ferguson SA, Tuckwell GA, Vincent GE. Sleep and physical activity in university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Aug;58:101482. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101482. Epub 2021 Mar 20. PubMed 33864990 ↗
  • Osherow EK, Gnall KE, Park CL. Associations between interoceptive awareness and leisure time physical activity intensity, engagement, and duration. Psychol Health. 2025 Sep 17:1-24. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2025.2560363. Online ahead of print. PubMed 40961461 ↗
  • Irwin JD. Prevalence of university students' sufficient physical activity: a systematic review. Percept Mot Skills. 2004 Jun;98(3 Pt 1):927-43. doi: 10.2466/pms.98.3.927-943. PubMed 15209309 ↗
  • Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, Carty C, Chaput JP, Chastin S, Chou R, Dempsey PC, DiPietro L, Ekelund U, Firth J, Friedenreich CM, Garcia L, Gichu M, Jago R, Katzmarzyk PT, Lambert E, Leitzmann M, Milton K, Ortega FB, Ranasinghe C, Stamatakis E, Tiedemann A, Troiano RP, van der Ploeg HP, Wari V, Willumsen JF. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec;54(24):1451-1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955. PubMed 33239350 ↗
  • Moulin MS, Truelove S, Burke SM, Irwin JD. Sedentary time among undergraduate students: A systematic review. J Am Coll Health. 2021 Apr;69(3):237-244. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1661422. Epub 2019 Sep 13. PubMed 31518211 ↗
  • Tremblay MS, Colley RC, Saunders TJ, Healy GN, Owen N. Physiological and health implications of a sedentary lifestyle. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2010 Dec;35(6):725-40. doi: 10.1139/H10-079. PubMed 21164543 ↗
  • Ferreira Silva RM, Mendonca CR, Azevedo VD, Raoof Memon A, Noll PRES, Noll M. Barriers to high school and university students' physical activity: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2022 Apr 4;17(4):e0265913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265913. eCollection 2022. PubMed 35377905 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 30, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07676292
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 30, 2026
Start date
Jun 10, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jul 27, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 30, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 30, 2026

Study contacts

Aslı Yeral, Asst. Prof. Dr
Contact
asli.yeral@yeditepe.edu.tr
0537 965 8494
Deniz ASLAN, MSc
Contact
deniz.aslan@yeditepe.edu
0538 339 3074

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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