Karate or Kung Fu?

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Childhood ALL

Treatments: Behavioral: Karate group; Behavioral: Kung fu group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04120896

0002

Details and patient eligibility

About

Sedentary lifestyle in Asian children together with aversive parenting style may compromise their physical and psychological health. The aim of the proposed stratified, randomized controlled study are to explore the beneficial effects of Japanese martial art (karate) and Chinese martial art (Ving Tsun kung fu) training on improving the psychophysical health in this population. Over fifty-two Asian children (age = 6-12 years) will be recruited from schools in Hong Kong and then randomly assigned to either a karate group or a Ving Tsun group. Children in both groups will receive the respective physical and spiritual martial art training for 3 months (3 times/week, one hour each). Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline and after the intervention by a blinded assessor. Primary outcomes include muscle power of the arms and legs as measured by a medicine ball throw test and a standing long jump test, respectively. Secondary outcomes include flexibility as quantified by a sit-and-reach test, aggression as measured by the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, and attention as measured by the Child Behavioral Checklist-Youth Self-Report. Both karate and Ving Tsun kung fu training programs are predicted to improve physical health of Asian children. It is expected that these training programs can be incorporated into the physical education classes or extracurricular activities in schools or in the community to improve project sustainability.

Enrollment: 52 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 6-12 years old
• Asian ethnicity and reside in Hong Kong

Exclusion criteria

• any physical or psychological disorders that may affect test results
• previous experience in martial arts
• participate in regular sports training

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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52 participants in 2 patient groups

Karate group

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Karate group

Kung Fu group

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Kung fu group