Injury Prevention in Danish Youth Handball

University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Athletic Injuries; Adherence, Sports Injury Prevention Exercises

Treatments: Behavioral: Support; Behavioral: Happy program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05294237

SDU-2021-57-(2089)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary aim of this hybrid-effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised study is to investigate if a supported implementation of an injury prevention exercise program (Happy program) involving a train-the-trainer workshop and coach support during the season is superior to an unsupported implementation of the Happy program involving the availability of the program on webpages, in improving adherence (volume, frequency, duration) of the Happy program among coaches for young (11-17 years of age) Danish female and male handball players during one handball season. Secondary aims are to investigate if the supported implementation is superior to the unsupported implementation in improving behavioural outcomes among the coaches and in reducing the risk for new ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries among young (11-17 years of age) Danish female and male handball players during one handball season. Further, the investigators aim to evaluate how and why adherence and behavioural determinants towards use of the Happy program might improve (or not).

Enrollment: 950 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 17 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• playing in youth teams from the age groups under (u)13, u15, and u17
• playing in handball club with at least four teams in the desired age groups

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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950 participants in 2 patient groups

Supported Implementation (Intervention)

Experimental group

Description:

The Happy-program will be available online on a webpage and consists of 7 warm-up components and 4 resistance training components that can be completed after handball practice. The warm-up program has three exercise variations for each of the seven components. The coaches may deliver the four resistance training components in the field or in the gym. The resistance training components in the field and the gym targets the same four body areas but differs in that the components in the gym are performed with equipment, while the components in the field can be performed without equipment. Each resistance training component has three levels. Happy ambassadors (Health professionals with a handball player or coach background) will conduct a 3-hour train-the trainer workshop in the beginning of the season and provide coaches with the opportunity for support throughout the season. At mid-season, the ambassadors will re-visit the clubs for 1,5-hour supervision and support.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Support

Behavioral: Happy program

Unsupported implementation (control)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Access to the Happy program will be available online to the coaches. No additional education or support will be provided.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Happy program