The Effects of Wearing a Face Mask During Exercise in Youth Hockey Players During COVID-19

The Effects of Wearing a Face Mask on Exercise Tolerance in Children's Hockey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypoxemia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Wingate exercise test and on-ice testing while wearing a face mask; Other: Wingate exercise test and on-ice testing while wearing a sham face mask

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Saskatchewan
    • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N5B2
      • University of Saskatchewan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 9 years to 14 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Experience playing ice-hockey

Exclusion Criteria:

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Surgical face mask; Simulated hockey period with 2x20s Wingate tests; progressive-intensity on-ice sprint test while wearing a surgical mask	Other: Wingate exercise test and on-ice testing while wearing a face mask; Power output during 2 x 20s Wingate cycle tests and total distance during an on-ice skating test while wearing a face mask
Sham Comparator: Sham face mask; Simulated hockey period with 2x20s Wingate tests; progressive-intensity on-ice sprint test while wearing a sham mask	Other: Wingate exercise test and on-ice testing while wearing a sham face mask; Power output during 2 x 20s Wingate cycle tests and total distance during an on-ice skating test while wearing a face mask

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in average power output	Average power output in Watts during two 20 second Wingate tests	Up to 40 seconds

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in peak power output	Peak power output in Watts during two 20 second Wingate tests	Up to 40 seconds
Change from baseline in on-ice sprint testing distance	Distance in meters covered during a repeated 20-meter sprint test that progressively increases in speed	Up to 12 minutes
Change from baseline in blood oxygen saturation	Blood oxygen saturation (%) determined by pulse oximetry	Up to 40 minutes
Change from baseline in quadriceps tissue oxygenation index	Tissue oxygenation index (oxygenated hemoglobin/total hemoglobin) as measured by near infra-red spectroscopy	Up to 40 minutes
Change from baseline in rating of perceived exertion	Rating of perceived exertion on a scale of 1-10 (Modified Borg Scale), a higher score indicates a greater perceived exertion	Up to 40 minutes
Change from baseline in heart rate	Heart rate (beats per minute)	Up to 40 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Saskatchewan
• Collaborators: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• 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.

Helpful Links

• link to the study manuscript

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 28, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 15, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): August 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 23, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 2, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 25, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 19, 2021
• Last Verified: October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory; Hypoxia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2701

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No