Trial of Isometric exercise in people with hypertension (ISOFITTER) v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Randomised controlled effectiveness trial (RCT) of isometric exercise (IE) in adults with stage 1 and 2 hypertension.
IRAS ID
331559
Contact name
Chris K Farmer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
High BP affects more than one in four adults in England and only one in three patients are being treated effectively. The cost of not being treated effectively is over £2.1 billion per year, mainly due to care related to strokes and heart attacks. Treatment includes changes to lifestyle such as more physical activity and/or taking medication. More than half of hypertensives fail to reduce their BP to healthier levels as they do not fully adopt treatment. Isometric Exercise (IE) involves holding a fixed position for a short period of time. Evidence suggests that IE can lower BP a greater amount with less time and effort than other recommended types of exercise.
This study follows preliminary research which considered if wall-squat IE (squatting with your back against the wall) could be delivered in the NHS. Results found that participants easily achieved and enjoyed the exercise at home. Healthcare professionals also thought it was an achievable intervention. The IE has since been developed for patients to exercise at home without any involvement from a healthcare professional (now self-delivered). A larger study is needed to confirm if IE results in consistent reduction in people's BP.
We aim to recruit 542 adults to this study. Recruits will be 18 years+ with a high BP diagnosis and without any complex health conditions. We will use a broad approach to ask people to take part, including those from underserved groups. This will include advertising on social media, through community settings, GP surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies. We will give all participants a BP monitor and healthy lifestyle advice and ask them to record their BP at four-weeks, three-months and six-months. Half the participants will be randomly enrolled onto an IE training programme for six-months, involving three IE wall-squat sessions per week, taking less than fifteen minutes each time.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0911
Date of REC Opinion
13 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion