Sapporo Fitness Club Trial (SFCT)--design, recruitment and implementation of a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of exercise at a fitness club for the reduction of cardiovascular risk factor--.

Background: The annual health check followed by lifestyle recommendations has long been the standard national strategy to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Japan. Exercise at fitness clubs, now widely accessible in major cities, has a novel appeal as a strategy with the additive effect of CVD risk reduction. The Sapporo Fitness Club Trial (SFCT) is a randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of the national standard alone (control) with the standard plus exercise at a fitness club (intervention) for the reduction of CVD risk factors.