An interventional study of Structured Jogging Program and Habitual Physical Activity Recommendations in Overweight , Obesity, sponsored by National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Completed at 1 site in Greece. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-06.
Sponsored by National and Kapodistrian University of Athens · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The ACTION (Genotype-tAilored exerCise inTerventION) study investigated whether genetic information related to obesity susceptibility and endurance capacity could be used to inform personalized lifestyle interventions aimed at improving body mass index (BMI) and participation in physical activity programs.
Adults with increased genetic susceptibility to obesity and low habitual physical activity were invited to participate in an eight-week lifestyle intervention combining dietary counseling with physical activity recommendations.
The intervention initially compared structured jogging with recommendations to increase habitual physical activity. Following the evaluation of intervention completion, the exercise strategy was modified for a subsequent group of participants, incorporating a Genetic Endurance Score (GES) to guide allocation to jogging or yoga.
The study evaluated changes in BMI and completion of the assigned exercise programs, exploring the feasibility of integrating genetic information into personalized lifestyle recommendations.
The ACTION (Genotype-tAilored exerCise inTerventION) study was designed to investigate the potential of integrating polygenic susceptibility to obesity and genetically predicted endurance capacity into lifestyle interventions for BMI management.
The study included an observational analysis of 918 genotyped Greek adults recruited during two consecutive study periods. A weighted BMI Genetic Risk Score (BMI-GRS), based on 97 genetic variants, was used to assess obesity susceptibility, while habitual physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-Gr).
Adults with increased obesity-related genetic susceptibility were invited to participate in the intervention component. Enrollment was prioritized for individuals with BMI-GRS values above the 70th percentile and low habitual physical activity. A total of 198 participants were enrolled in eight-week lifestyle interventions across two sequential cohorts.
All intervention participants received a common genetic risk-adapted dietary program and individualized lifestyle counseling. Dietary recommendations emphasized healthy eating habits, reduced saturated fat and refined carbohydrate intake, increased dietary fiber and plant-based food consumption, and regular fish consumption.
In the initial intervention cohort (n=113), participants were systematically allocated according to enrollment order to structured jogging (n=77) or recommendations to increase habitual physical activity (n=36). The primary objective was to evaluate changes in BMI following eight weeks of intervention.
Following discontinuation of the initial intervention, exploratory analyses investigated the association between genetically predicted endurance capacity and exercise program completion. These observations motivated a modification of the intervention strategy.
In the subsequent cohort (n=85), exercise allocation was guided by a nine-variant Genetic Endurance Score (GES). Participants with GES ≥50 were assigned to structured jogging (n=35), while those with GES \<50 were assigned to structured yoga (n=50). This phase assessed eight-week intervention completion and short-term BMI change.
BMI was calculated from measured weight and height. Intervention completion was defined by completion of the assigned eight-week program and attendance at the final assessment. Discontinuation of the intervention was recorded.
Comparisons between the sequential intervention cohorts were considered exploratory because the cohorts were recruited at different times and exercise allocation procedures differed. The genotype-guided allocation strategy was developed following observations from the initial intervention and was not part of the original intervention design.
11,522 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 2,033 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 198 is above the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.
Browse Obesity studies →National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is the lead sponsor of 176 studies on the registry; 54 are open to participants now.
Compared within Obesity, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Overweight. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Inclusion Criteria:Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants assigned to structured jogging followed an eight-week exercise program together with common genetic risk-adapted dietary counseling. This arm included 77 participants from the initial cohort, allocated systematically by enrollment order, and 35 participants from the subsequent cohort, allocated according to a Genetic Endurance Score (GES) ≥50. A total of 112 participants received the jogging intervention.
Behavioral: Structured Jogging Program · Behavioral: Genetic Risk-Adapted Dietary Counseling
This arm represents the alternative physical activity strategy used in each intervention cohort. In the initial cohort, 36 participants received recommendations to increase physical activity through their habitual activities. In the subsequent cohort, 50 participants with a Genetic Endurance Score (GES) \<50 were assigned to structured yoga. Both groups received the common dietary counseling intervention for eight weeks. The two exercise strategies were implemented in separate, sequential cohorts and were not identical interventions.
Behavioral: Habitual Physical Activity Recommendations · Behavioral: Structured Yoga Program · Behavioral: Genetic Risk-Adapted Dietary Counseling
An eight-week structured jogging program aimed at increasing weekly physical activity relative to baseline. The intervention was implemented in both sequential cohorts: 77 participants in the initial cohort and 35 participants with a Genetic Endurance Score (GES) ≥50 in the subsequent cohort. All participants also received common dietary counseling.
Participants received individualized recommendations to increase their weekly physical activity through their habitual forms of exercise, without assignment to a structured jogging or yoga program. This eight-week intervention was implemented in the initial cohort (n=36), alongside the common genetic risk-adapted dietary counseling program. Physical activity recommendations aimed to increase weekly activity relative to baseline.
An eight-week structured yoga program assigned to participants with a Genetic Endurance Score (GES) below 50. The intervention was implemented in the subsequent cohort (n=50) as an alternative to structured jogging for individuals with lower genetically predicted endurance capacity. All participants also received the common genetic risk-adapted dietary counseling program.
All 198 intervention participants received a common eight-week genetic risk-adapted dietary counseling program designed to support gradual weight loss. Recommendations emphasized reducing saturated fat and refined carbohydrate intake, increasing dietary fiber and plant-based foods, regular fish consumption, and behavioral strategies to support dietary adherence. The same dietary protocol was applied in both sequential intervention cohorts.
Percentage Reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) From Baseline to Week 8
Percentage BMI reduction was calculated as 100 × (baseline BMI - BMI at week 8) / baseline BMI, with positive values indicating a reduction in BMI. BMI was calculated from measured body weight (kg) divided by height squared (m²). The outcome was evaluated among participants who completed the eight-week intervention and had available follow-up anthropometric measurements.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 8
Plan to share: No — There is currently no plan to share individual participant data. The study includes genetic and health-related information. Any future data sharing would be subject to applicable data protection requirements, participant consent provisions, and approval by the responsible institution.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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