Effects of a Recreational Team Handball-based Programme on Health and Physical Fitness of Postmenopausal Women

NCT05292261 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: CEFADE202019
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aimed at determining the short- (16 weeks) and long-term (36 weeks) health and physical fitness effects and adherence of recreational team handball training for postmenopausal women without previous experience with the sport. The investigators hypothesized that short-term recreational team handball training would result in positive health and physical fitness adaptations and that the health and physical fitness improvements achieved after the first 16 weeks would be maintained or further improved at the long-term. Moreover, the investigators also hypothesized that the adherence to this exercise mode would be maintained throughout the 36 weeks (long-term) compared to the first 16 weeks (short-term).

Conditions

Menopause

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Between group differences in peak oxygen uptake at week 16

  Determined by pulmonary gas exchange measurements, during an incremental treadmill test until voluntary exhaustion.

  Week 16

• Between group differences in peak oxygen uptake at week 36

  Determined by pulmonary gas exchange measurements, during an incremental treadmill test until voluntary exhaustion.

  Week 36

• Changes from baseline in peak oxygen uptake at week 16

  Determined by pulmonary gas exchange measurements, during an incremental treadmill test until voluntary exhaustion.

  Baseline and week 16

• Changes from baseline in peak oxygen uptake at week 36

  Determined by pulmonary gas exchange measurements, during an incremental treadmill test until voluntary exhaustion.

  Baseline and week 36

• Changes from week 16 in peak oxygen uptake at week 36

  Determined by pulmonary gas exchange measurements, during an incremental treadmill test until voluntary exhaustion.

  Week 16 and week 36

Secondary Outcomes (130)

• Between group differences in resting heart rate at week 16

  Week 16

• Between group differences in resting heart rate at week 36

  Week 36

• Changes from baseline in resting heart rate at week 16

  Baseline and week 16

• Changes from baseline in resting heart rate at week 36

  Baseline and week 36

• Changes from week 16 in resting heart rate at week 36

  Week 16 and week 36

Study Arms (2)

Team handball group

EXPERIMENTAL

The team handball group participants were encouraged to performed at least two out of three weekly supervised team handball training sessions of 60 min each, for 36 weeks.

Other: Recreational team handball

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

The control group participants were instructed to keep their regular daily physical activity for 36 weeks.

Interventions

Recreational team handball OTHER

Two to three weekly sessions of recreational team handball training for 36 weeks. Each 60-min session started with a standardised warm-up (including running, coordination, strength, flexibility, and balance exercises) followed by three 15-min periods of recreational team handball matches, interspersed by 2-min breaks, played as small-sided games (4v4, 5v5 or 6v6). The training sessions were performed on an indoor team handball court (40x20 m) adjusted to result in 34-36 m2 per player. During the matches, the participants rotated positions every 3 min in a random order, including the goalkeeper and no exclusions or substitutions were applied.

Team handball group

Eligibility Criteria

• Gender Eligibility Details: Postmenopausal women
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Inactive postmenopausal women aged +55 years or younger if with menopause for at least 3 years

You may not qualify if:

• Any medical contraindications to perform moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Institute of Maia: lead
• Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development: collaborator
• Universidade do Porto: collaborator
• Laboratory of Metabolism and Exercise (LaMetEx), CIAFEL, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto: collaborator
• Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, University of Porto: collaborator
• University of Southern Denmark: collaborator
• Porto Sports Medicine Center (IPDJ, IP): collaborator
• Gaia City Hall: collaborator
• Portuguese Handball Federation: collaborator
• European Handball Federation: collaborator
• São João University Hospital Centre: collaborator
• EPIUnit, Public Health Institute, University of Porto: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Maia

Maia, Porto District, 4476-690, Portugal

Location

Study Officials

• Susana Póvoas

  University of Maia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2022
• First Posted: March 23, 2022
• Study Start: January 2, 2016
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2018
• Study Completion: March 1, 2018
• Last Updated: April 6, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-03

Locations

PT (1)