Clinical trial NCT04874766: The Effects of Wearing a Face Mask During Exercise in Youth Hockey Players During COVID-19
Official title: The Effects of Wearing a Face Mask on Exercise Tolerance in Children's Hockey During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Hypoxemia
Lead sponsor: University of Saskatchewan
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
First posted: 2021-05-06
Enrollment: 26
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 9
Maximum age (years): 14
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: There is concern that wearing a face mask during COVID will affect oxygen uptake, especially during intense exercise. COVID transmission is especially prevalent in sports such as hockey, where there is close contact between players and arena ventilation is poor. This study will assess the effect of wearing a surgical face mask on simulated hockey performance and blood and muscle oxygenation during cycling exercise.

Detailed description: The sport of ice hockey involves close contact between players in poorly ventilated arenas. This increases susceptibility for transmission of viruses, such as COVID-19. Face masks can reduce the risk of virus transmission; however, there is concern that wearing a face mask during exercise will reduce oxygen uptake or increase carbon dioxide re-breathing, which can result in low blood oxygen levels, reduced oxygen delivery to muscle and reduced exercise capacity. The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of wearing a surgical face mask during exercise that simulates ice hockey play on exercise performance and blood and muscle oxygenation in boys and girls. Twelve boys and twelve girls (age 9-14y) who are experienced playing hockey, will take part in this randomized cross-over study that will assess exercise performance, blood oxygenation (i.e. pulse oximetry) and muscle oxygenation (with near infrared spectroscopy) during an exercise test on a cycle ergometer with workloads and work to rest intervals that simulates hockey performance. Participants will also be tested for repeated-sprint performance on ice while wearing full hockey equipment. The conditions include no mask (a "sham" mask) and a surgical mask. Outcome variables include power output during the cycle ergometer testing, skating distance during the on-ice test, rating of perceived exertion, blood oxygen saturation levels, and oxygenated, deoxygenated, and total hemoglobin at the quadriceps muscle.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Experience playing ice-hockey

Exclusion Criteria:

* Contra-indications to exercise as identified by a screening questionnaire (the "Get Active Questionnaire")

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in average power output
timeFrame: Up to 40 seconds
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in peak power output
timeFrame: Up to 40 seconds
measure: Change from baseline in on-ice sprint testing distance
timeFrame: Up to 12 minutes
measure: Change from baseline in blood oxygen saturation
timeFrame: Up to 40 minutes
measure: Change from baseline in quadriceps tissue oxygenation index
timeFrame: Up to 40 minutes
measure: Change from baseline in rating of perceived exertion
timeFrame: Up to 40 minutes
measure: Change from baseline in heart rate
timeFrame: Up to 40 minutes
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Saskatoon
country: Canada
facility: University of Saskatchewan
state: Saskatchewan
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Saskatchewan
name: Philip Chilibeck, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Shaw KA, Butcher S, Ko JB, Absher A, Gordon J, Tkachuk C, Zello GA, Chilibeck PD. Wearing a Surgical Face Mask Has Minimal Effect on Performance and Physiological Measures during High-Intensity Exercise in Youth Ice-Hockey Players: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 14;18(20):10766. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010766.