The Health Effects of Small-sided Team Handball

University of Copenhagen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Recreational handball

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04247724

H-15008361

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the project was to examine the fitness and health effects of participation in recreational Team Handball for untrained 20-30 year old healthy men and women.

Full description

Fitness and health effects of 12 weeks of recreational team handball in untrained adult men and women aged 20-30 years"

Adult men and women aged 20-30 years will be recruited to take part in a 12-week intervention with recreational team handball. Half of the participants are men (n=32), who are randomly assigned to a group playing recreational team handball (n=16) and an inactive control group (n=16). The women (n=40) are also divided and assigned to a group with regular participation in recreational team handball (n=20) and an inactive control group (n=20). The training sessions will be offered 2-3 times weekly for 70 minutes per session by a supervised trainer. The sessions involves an injury preventive warm-up and ball exercises for 15 minutes followed by recreational handball on small pitches such as 4 vs 4. A comprehensive testing protocol is conducted before and after the training period. The measurements includes body composition and bone mineralization, blood pressure, resting heart rate, fasting blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol and bone markers. In addition, a number of physical tests which involves fitness level (VO2max), intermittent work, muscle strength and balance will further be conducted. The testing takes place at the University of Copenhagen. The training sessions will also take place at the University of Copenhagen or in a handball club near the University. The study will be approved by the local ethical committee of Copenhagen.

Enrollment: 72 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy women and men from 20-30 years old
• If women, a regular menstrual cycle length (25 to 32 days) with or without use of contraceptives.

Exclusion criteria

• Known familiar diseases
• If been smoking for the last two years before recruitment
• If involved in any regular physical training two years before recruitment
• Women: a peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) higher than 45 mL/min/kg
• Men: a peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) higher than 51 mL/min/kg

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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72 participants in 4 patient groups

Active group of men

Experimental group

Description:

4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: \*1 group of men playing recreational handball

Treatment:

Behavioral: Recreational handball

Active group of women

Experimental group

Description:

4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: \*1 group of women playing recreational handball

Treatment:

Behavioral: Recreational handball

Inactive group of men

Experimental group

Description:

4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: \*1 group of men continuing their normal lifestyle patterns

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control

Inactive group of women

Experimental group

Description:

4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: \*1 group of women continuing their normal lifestyle patterns

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control