TY - JOUR
T1 - The YoungFitT project
T2 - Study protocol for a randomized mixed-methods trial of physical exercise and mind-body interventions, with or without virtual reality, in university students
AU - Rostami, Samira
AU - Bermudo-Gallaguet, Adrià
AU - Camins-Vila, Neus
AU - Ferrer-Uris, Blai
AU - Busquets, Albert
AU - Ribera, Mireia
AU - Coll, Laura
AU - Vila, Jaime Gallego
AU - Martínez, Ramon Oliva
AU - Slater, Mel
AU - Diez, Gustavo Garcia
AU - Castellanos, Nazareth Perales
AU - Larrosa, Mar
AU - Bielsa-Pascual, Jofre
AU - Torán-Montserrat, Pere
AU - Rabassa, Olga Bruna
AU - Guerra-Balic, Myriam
AU - Erickson, Kirk I.
AU - Brown, Belinda
AU - Serrat, Maria Mataró
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Rostami et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2025/8
Y1 - 2025/8
N2 - Background Mental health issues among young university students have increased in recent years, driven by academic stress and sedentary lifestyles. The YoungFitT Project aims to explore well-being strategies and the psychobiological mechanisms behind their effects on university students. The project includes two studies: the first evaluates the effectiveness of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Qigong (QG) on psychological well-being and cognitive functions, and also explores whether socio-demographic, mental (mindful thinking, sleep quality), physical (physical fitness, physical activity), physiological (heart rate variability), and biological (microbiota) factors mediate or moderate intervention effects on university students. Given that immersive virtual reality (VR) can enhance adherence and provide additional benefits, the second study will explore the feasibility and efficacy of HIFT-VR, MBSR-VR, and QG-VR on university students' psychological well-being and cognitive functions.Methods Two mixed-methods randomized controlled trials will be conducted. In Study 1, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (HIFT, MBSR, QG) using a 1:1:1 ratio. Psychological, cognitive, physical, physiological, and biological measures will be evaluated two weeks before and after the interventions. The interventions include three weekly sessions for 12 weeks. Subsequently, a follow-up will be conducted 12 weeks after the intervention to assess psychological well-being. Study 2 is a proof-of-concept study in which VR interventions will be co-designed with input from university students and professionals. Twelve participants from each study will also complete semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences and perceived impact.Discussion The proposed interventions are expected to produce differential effects on psychological well-being and cognitive function. VR environments may enhance adherence and offer added benefits over conventional training. Findings will inform effective, personalized strategies for the mental and physical health of university youth.Trial registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06406283; Registration date: 2024/05/06.
AB - Background Mental health issues among young university students have increased in recent years, driven by academic stress and sedentary lifestyles. The YoungFitT Project aims to explore well-being strategies and the psychobiological mechanisms behind their effects on university students. The project includes two studies: the first evaluates the effectiveness of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Qigong (QG) on psychological well-being and cognitive functions, and also explores whether socio-demographic, mental (mindful thinking, sleep quality), physical (physical fitness, physical activity), physiological (heart rate variability), and biological (microbiota) factors mediate or moderate intervention effects on university students. Given that immersive virtual reality (VR) can enhance adherence and provide additional benefits, the second study will explore the feasibility and efficacy of HIFT-VR, MBSR-VR, and QG-VR on university students' psychological well-being and cognitive functions.Methods Two mixed-methods randomized controlled trials will be conducted. In Study 1, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (HIFT, MBSR, QG) using a 1:1:1 ratio. Psychological, cognitive, physical, physiological, and biological measures will be evaluated two weeks before and after the interventions. The interventions include three weekly sessions for 12 weeks. Subsequently, a follow-up will be conducted 12 weeks after the intervention to assess psychological well-being. Study 2 is a proof-of-concept study in which VR interventions will be co-designed with input from university students and professionals. Twelve participants from each study will also complete semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences and perceived impact.Discussion The proposed interventions are expected to produce differential effects on psychological well-being and cognitive function. VR environments may enhance adherence and offer added benefits over conventional training. Findings will inform effective, personalized strategies for the mental and physical health of university youth.Trial registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06406283; Registration date: 2024/05/06.
KW - College
KW - Depression
KW - Population
KW - Quality
KW - Reliability
KW - Validation
KW - Validity
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105012363164
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5607
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001542584800012
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0328538
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0328538
M3 - Article
C2 - 40748900
AN - SCOPUS:105012363164
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 20
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
IS - 8 August
M1 - e0328538
ER -
