The Health Effects of Small-sided Team Handball

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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The Physiological Health Effects of 12 Weeks of Small-sided Team Handball Training in Young Adult Women and Men

Conditions
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Healthy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Recreational handball
* Behavioral: Control


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 20 Years
Maximum Age: 30 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Active group of men<br>4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: *1 group of men playing recreational handball | Behavioral: Recreational handball<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Active group of women<br>4 groups are randomized for 12 weeks of intervention; 2 groups are active, 2 groups are inactive: *1 group of women playing recreational handball | Behavioral: Recreational handball<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Inactive group of men<br>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 | Behavioral: Control<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Inactive group of women<br>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 | Behavioral: Control<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VO2max - change is being assessed after 12 weeks of intervention | VO2max (mL/kg/min) is a measure of the cardiorespiratory during a treadmill test | Measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fat percentage - change is being assessed after 12 weeks of intervention | Measure of fat percentage (%) performed by a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA scan) | Measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention | 
| Muscle mass - change is being assessed after 12 weeks of intervention | Measure of muscle mass (kg) performed by a DXA scan | Measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention | 
| Mineral bone density - change is being assessed after 12 weeks of intervention | Mineral bone density (g/cm2) performed by a DXA scan | Measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention | 
| Bone mass - change is being assessed after 12 weeks of intervention | Bone mass (kg) performed by a DXA scan | Measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention |