Long Oral Presentation Nutrition Society of Australia 50th Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

The feasibility, acceptability and design considerations of a circadian aligned time-restrictive eating (TRE) and exercise snacking intervention for women post menopause: A qualitative study (147202)

Corinne Davis 1 , Tess Kelly 1 , Rochelle Davis 1 , Lisa Moran 2 , Tracey L Sletten 3 , Maxine P Bonham 1
  1. Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Notting Hill 3168, VICTORIA, Australia
  2. Monash Centre for Health Research & Implementation, Monash University, Clayton 3168, VICTORIA, Australia
  3. School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Notting Hill 3168, VICTORIA, Australia

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, with risk rising substantially after menopause [1]. The decline in oestrogen concentrations occurring during menopause likely compounds many CVD risk factors, including weight gain, increased adiposity, reduced glucose tolerance, abnormal plasma lipids and increased blood pressure [2]. The individualised timing of lifestyle behaviours to coincide with circadian rhythms in energy metabolism may offer a novel solution to CVD risk for women post menopause. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary strategy that promotes timing of food intake to be optimally aligned to glycaemic control and has been shown to improve CVD risk factors associated with menopause [3]. Furthermore, if TRE is timed with an individual’s body clock, this may offer additional benefits. While optimal timing for physical activity is unclear, there is evidence that short bouts of activity (exercise snacking) can reduce the risk of CVD events [4] and can show greater improvements in blood glucose control if undertaken post-meal [5]. Less is known about the feasibility, acceptability and design considerations of these approaches for women post menopause. This qualitative study aimed to explore: 1) How realistic and achievable would a time restricted eating aligned with body clock (TRE) and post-meal physical activity (exercise snacking) intervention be for women post menopause; and 2) the potential enablers and barriers for adherence to such an intervention. Women post menopause (i.e., at least one year post last menstrual period), undertaking less than 30 minutes physical activity each day, and with a current daily eating window greater than 10 hours, were recruited from Facebook advertisements during February – June 2026. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, along with a brief presentation on the background and applications of TRE and exercise snacking, to gather the opinions and perceived enablers and barriers from participants to inform design of an intervention. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted. A total of 15 women post menopause (age 57.9 ± 6.6 y; BMI 29.9 ± 2.9 kg/m2) completed interviews. Participants were generally positive about both TRE and exercise snacking and viewed them as achievable lifestyle approaches due to perceived relatively small changes required to existing lifestyle. Motivation to follow an intervention of this type was strongly linked to perceived health benefits, accountability, and participation in research. However, social commitments, work schedules, family routines, and the challenge of establishing new habits were frequently identified barriers to adherence. Key considerations for the design of an intervention included flexibility to accommodate lifestyle barriers, accountability (e.g., logging activities, reminders, tele-health support), education (e.g., information on scientific rationale and expected health benefits), and practical support (e.g., suggestions for exercise). The findings are currently being incorporated into the design of an intervention planned for late 2026/early 2027.

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