Take the stairs! simple daily habit may slash blood pressure

NCT ID NCT06952348

Disease control Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether adding stair climbing to a brisk walking routine lowers blood pressure more than walking alone. 450 adults with high blood pressure, overweight, and a sedentary lifestyle will be split into three groups: stair walking plus brisk walking, brisk walking only, or standard lifestyle advice. Over 6 months, participants wear activity trackers and get personalized feedback. If successful, this could provide an easy, free way to improve heart health.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: stair walking and brisk walking
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost way to lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk using everyday stair climbing.
What could go wrong: This is a behavioral study, not a drug trial, so results depend on participants sticking with the routine. The 6-month follow-up is short, and long-term benefits are uncertain.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 450 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2025

Expected to finish

May 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

35 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria Men and women aged 35 years or older with increased cardiometabolic risk, defined by all of the following: 1. Clinically confirmed hypertension, with or without antihypertensive treatment, as documented in the Electronic Health Record (EHR). 2. Overweight or obesity, defined as BMI between 27 and 40. 3. Physically inactive lifestyle, defined as either: * Light intensity or inactive category on the Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS), or * Light intensity or inactive category in the physical activity section of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare Lifestyle Questionnaire. Exclusion Criteria Medical contraindications to physical activity (based on FYSS 2021, p. 182): * Severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis * Acute pulmonary embolism, myocarditis, pericarditis, or systemic infection (e.g., fever, muscle pain, lymphadenopathy) * Suspected or known aortic dissection * Severe hypertension (Grade 3: SBP \>180 mmHg or DBP \>110 mmHg), regardless of symptoms * Unstable coronary artery disease (including unstable angina, suboptimally treated stable angina, or recent myocardial infarction \<8 weeks) * Symptomatic, uncontrolled arrhythmia * Symptomatic, uncontrolled heart failure Other exclusion criteria: * Implanted pacemaker or ICD * Pregnancy * Smartphone incompatibility with Fitrockr© app (iOS \<16 or Android OS \<10) * Inability to understand Swedish or English * Any condition that may interfere with protocol compliance (e.g., severe mental illness or cognitive impairment) * Inability to walk stairs

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cardiovascular disorder hypertensive disorder metabolic disease Motor Activity Obesity obesity disorder Overweight

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cardiovascular diseases Hypertension Metabolic disease Obesity and overweight

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Take the stairs! simple daily habit may slash blood pressure

What the study statuses mean