Health Benefits of Alpine Skiing for the Elderly

NCT01248910 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: SASES
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Older people tend to live a sedentary lifestyle which causes a loss of cardiorespiratory fitness, impaired postural stability and a increased risk of falls. Social isolation of older people leads to depression and other mental diseases. However, numerous studies show that age-related degradation processes and functional limitations can be counteracted by physical activity. Various studies show that alpine skiing is a complex sport that places demands on the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and sensorimotor systems. With studies providing evidence to suggest alpine skiing is an appropriate activity for elderly as a health-enhancing sport, perhaps Alpine skiing could provide the physical activity needed to counteract age-related degradation processes and loss of function. To date, there is a lack of long-term intervention studies devoted to this topic. The aim of this study was to monitor the long-term effects of skiing on the health of older people, as to age-related muscle breakdown, cardiorespiratory fitness, body stability, general mobility and the overall psychological state of the subjects.

Conditions

Elderly; Strength; Exercise Capacity; Postural Control

Study Arms (2)

Alpine Skiing

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Alpine Skiing

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Alpine Skiing BEHAVIORAL

Alpine Skiing

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 60-75 years of age at
• average or above average skiing ability
• average physical activity level
• willingness to ski regularly (2-3 days per week) for 12 weeks
• ability to give written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• serious health problems that would make alpine skiing unjustifiable

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Salzburg: lead
• Manchester Metropolitan University: collaborator
• University of Freiburg: collaborator
• University of Copenhagen: collaborator
• Paracelsus Medical University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Department of Sport Science and Christian Doppler Laboratory "Biomechanics in Skiing"

Hallein, Salzburg, 5400, Austria

Location

Study Officials

• Erich Müller, PhD

  Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology, University of Salzburg

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 24, 2010
• First Posted: November 25, 2010
• Study Start: December 1, 2008
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2010
• Study Completion: November 1, 2010
• Last Updated: November 25, 2010

Record last verified: 2010-10

Locations

AU (1)