Active Young, Healthy Mind. The YoungFitT Project

Summary

The main objective of YoungFitT Project is to study the effect and neuro-psycho-biological mechanisms of mind and body interventions, also in the form of virtual reality (VR), on brain health, cognitive and psychological well-being of college students. The investigators have adopted an inter and multidisciplinary and multimodal approach to provide a more integrative perspective using cognitive, psychological, biochemical, and neuroimaging measurements. The investigators hypothesize that all three interventions Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Qigong, and High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) will produce gains in cognitive functions and psychological well-being at three months compared to baseline. Also, all three interventions will induce changes in the microbiota and brain structure and function. Finally, using a VR environment for these interventions will provide greater adherence and cognitive and psychological well-being benefits than conventional training.

Conditions

• University Students

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT)

This intervention will include three sessions per week: two group 60-minute zoom online synchronous sessions guided by experts and one individual autonomous session (a repetition of a chosen session of that week). The training protocol will be designed based on Cross-Training workouts, emphasizing high-intensity interval training combined with functional resistance-training movements.

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR)

This intervention follows the official MBSR program designed by Jon Kabat-Zinn with some adaptations, as we did in Bermudo-Gallaguet, et al. (2022). The intervention will occur three days a week, including one 120-minute online synchronous session and two 20-40 min individual practices. The intensity of physical exercise will be adjusted to personal baseline characteristics.

BEHAVIORAL

Qigong

This intervention will include three sessions per week: two group 60-minute zoom online synchronous sessions guided by experts and one individual autonomous session (a repetition of a chosen session of that week). The program includes the Baduanjin sequence, considered one of the most ancient and beneficial forms for physical and mental health within the Qigong tradition.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Ramon Llull

  collaborator OTHER

• ICREA Academia

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Institut de Neurociències de la Universitat de Barcelona

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (CERCA center)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• EventLab

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• INEFC

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Nirakara Lab

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Adventhealth Research Institute, Neuroscience

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Murdock

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Barcelona

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maria Mataró, PhD · University of Barcelona

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

25 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-12-20

Primary Completion

2026-05-18

Completion

2026-09-18

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations