Physical Activity and Disability Prevention in Postmenopausal Women

Summary

The aim of this clinical study is to examine the impact of physical activity on the physical and mental health of postmenopausal women, with a particular focus on the development of disability. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

1. Can physical activity programs (Nordic walking, Bungy Pump, strength training, functional general conditioning training) prevent loss of mobility, bone density and urinary incontinence, reduce the risk of falls, lower metabolic syndrome parameters, and improve cardiovascular endurance in postmenopausal women?
2. Do regular exercises improve cognitive functions, motivation, memory, visual coordination, mood, and quality of life in postmenopausal women?

Researchers will compare the test groups (Nordic Walking, Bungy Pump, strength training, functional general conditioning training) with the control group to determine whether physical activity brings benefits in terms of physical and mental health compared to no intervention.

Participants will:

Take part in a three-month physical activity program that includes Nordic walking, Bungy Pump exercises, functional general conditioning training and strength training, depending on the group.

The control group will not participate in any additional physical exercise program and will continue with their usual daily activities.

Conditions

• Metabolic Syndrome
• Fall Risk
• Sarcopenia in Elderly
• Osteopenia, Osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Dementia
• Quality of Life Outcomes
• Cognitive Ability, General

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Nordic walking

NW training sessions are conducted by a certified NW instructor leading participants in the outdoor forest of Gdansk. Training is about 60 minutes each time, 3 times a week, each interval of 1 or 2 days, a total of 12 weeks. Participants used professional Nordic Pole.

BEHAVIORAL

Strength training

Strength training was conducted in the gym with progressively increasing resistance from 65% to 75% of the maximum weight (one-repetition maximum (1-RM)). Participants performed 10-13 repetitions of the exercise in one serie. The training was carried out in station form and consisted of 10-13 exercises. There were rest intervals of 60-90 seconds between exercises. As intended, the training was comprehensive, i.e. it affected the muscles of the arms, legs, torso, abdomen and chest.

BEHAVIORAL

Bungy Pump Exercises

Buny Pump training sessions are conducted by a certified BP instructor leading participants in the outdoor forest of Gdansk. Training is about 60 minutes each time, 3 times a week, a total of 12 weeks. Participants used professional Bungy Pump Pole.

BEHAVIORAL

Daily life

The individuals engaged in routine daily tasks, while being advised against incorporating any supplementary physical exertion.

BEHAVIORAL

Functional general conditioning training

Training sessions were supervised by a certified instructor. Training was carried out at home with individually adjusted resistance depending on age and health. Participants typically performed 10-13 repetitions of a given exercise. 30-second rest intervals were used between exercises. As intended, the training was comprehensive, i.e. including muscles of the arms, legs, trunk, abdomen, chest, balance and flexibility exercises. Basic training equipment was used during the training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Zbigniew Ossowski, PHD · AKADEMIA WYCHOWANIA FIZYCZNEGO I SPORTU

• Yangjun Liu, PHD · Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-02-21

Primary Completion

2025-10-05

Completion

2025-10-15

Countries

• Poland

Study Locations