Effects of a Recreational Team Handball-based Programme on Health and Physical Fitness of Postmenopausal Women

Summary

This study aimed at determining the short- (16 weeks) and long-term (36 weeks) health and physical fitness effects and adherence of recreational team handball training for postmenopausal women without previous experience with the sport.

The investigators hypothesized that short-term recreational team handball training would result in positive health and physical fitness adaptations and that the health and physical fitness improvements achieved after the first 16 weeks would be maintained or further improved at the long-term. Moreover, the investigators also hypothesized that the adherence to this exercise mode would be maintained throughout the 36 weeks (long-term) compared to the first 16 weeks (short-term).

Conditions

• Menopause

Interventions

OTHER

Recreational team handball

Two to three weekly sessions of recreational team handball training for 36 weeks. Each 60-min session started with a standardised warm-up (including running, coordination, strength, flexibility, and balance exercises) followed by three 15-min periods of recreational team handball matches, interspersed by 2-min breaks, played as small-sided games (4v4, 5v5 or 6v6). The training sessions were performed on an indoor team handball court (40x20 m) adjusted to result in 34-36 m2 per player. During the matches, the participants rotated positions every 3 min in a random order, including the goalkeeper and no exclusions or substitutions were applied.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development

  collaborator OTHER

• Universidade do Porto

  collaborator OTHER

• Laboratory of Metabolism and Exercise (LaMetEx), CIAFEL, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, University of Porto

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Southern Denmark

  collaborator OTHER

• Porto Sports Medicine Center (IPDJ, IP)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Gaia City Hall

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Portuguese Handball Federation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• European Handball Federation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• São João University Hospital Centre

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• EPIUnit, Public Health Institute, University of Porto

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University Institute of Maia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Susana Póvoas · University of Maia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-01-02

Primary Completion

2018-03-01

Completion

2018-03-01

Countries

• Portugal

Study Locations