Health Benefits of Alpine Skiing for the Elderly (SASES)

SASES: SAlzburg Skiing in the Elderly Study: Health Benefits of Alpine Skiing for the Elderly

Older people tend to live a sedentary lifestyle which causes a loss of cardiorespiratory fitness, impaired postural stability and a increased risk of falls. Social isolation of older people leads to depression and other mental diseases. However, numerous studies show that age-related degradation processes and functional limitations can be counteracted by physical activity. Various studies show that alpine skiing is a complex sport that places demands on the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and sensorimotor systems. With studies providing evidence to suggest alpine skiing is an appropriate activity for elderly as a health-enhancing sport, perhaps Alpine skiing could provide the physical activity needed to counteract age-related degradation processes and loss of function. To date, there is a lack of long-term intervention studies devoted to this topic. The aim of this study was to monitor the long-term effects of skiing on the health of older people, as to age-related muscle breakdown, cardiorespiratory fitness, body stability, general mobility and the overall psychological state of the subjects.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Elderly; Exercise Capacity; Strength; Postural Control
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Alpine Skiing

• Study Type: Interventional
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Salzburg
    • Hallein, Salzburg, Austria, 5400
      • Department of Sport Science and Christian Doppler Laboratory "Biomechanics in Skiing"

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 60 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 60-75 years of age at
• average or above average skiing ability
• average physical activity level
• willingness to ski regularly (2-3 days per week) for 12 weeks
• ability to give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• serious health problems that would make alpine skiing unjustifiable

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
Experimental: Alpine Skiing	Behavioral: Alpine Skiing

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Salzburg
• Collaborators: University of Copenhagen; Manchester Metropolitan University; Paracelsus Medical University; University of Freiburg
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erich Müller, PhD, Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology, University of Salzburg

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 24, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 24, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): November 25, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 25, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 24, 2010
• Last Verified: October 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: SASES