Forearm Loading (FAL) Study: A Recreational Gymnastics Intervention within a Physical Education Setting

Introduction: Accruing bone during childhood and adolescence is paramount to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life. Children who participate in recreational gymnastics during young childhood have been found to have better bone parameters than children participating in other sports. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an 8-month forearm loading intervention, based on a recreational gymnastics loading model, on bone health of children in grade 5. Methods: Forty-one participants (20 intervention and 21 comparison), 10-years of age, were recruited and measured at baseline and 9-months later. Bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD), fat mass (FM), and lean mass (LM) were measured using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Bone health was also measured using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) which assessed total bone area (Tt.Ar), cortical area (Ct.Ar), trabecular area (Tb.Ar), bone mineral density (Tt.BMD), cortical thickness (Ct.Th), trabecular bone volume fracture (Tb.BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) at the distal radius and tibia. Independent sample t-tests were used to determine differences in demographics and DXA measures and MANOVA was used to assess HR-pQCT at baseline and follow-up. With-in group differences were determined using paired sample t-test. Lastly, ANCOVA was used to investigate adjusted group differences controlling for height, weight, maturation, sex, and initial bone values. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05 for all statistical tests. Results: There were no differences between groups in any anthropometric characteristics at baseline or follow-up. Intervention and comparison groups did not significantly differ from one other in any DXA measures pre or post intervention. At baseline, tibial TrA was significantly greater in the comparison group. All other tibial and radial measures were not significantly different at either timepoint between groups. Bone parameters statistically increased from baseline to follow-up at the radius for Ct.Ar, Tt.BMD, Ct.Th, and Tb.Th in the intervention group and Ct.Ar and Ct.Th in the comparison group. At the tibia Ct.Ar, and Ct.Th statistically increased from baseline to follow-up in the intervention group and Ct.A, Tt.BMD, Ct.Th, and Tb.Th in the comparison group. Conclusion: This data suggests that although recreational gymnastics skills are attainable by most children, the current model did not seem to be effective in eliciting bone parameter changes at the tibia and radius in 10–11-year-olds.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Beaulieu, Shae

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Erlandson, Marta

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Baxter-Jones, Adam
• Humbert, Louise
• Arnold , Kathy

• Recreational gymnastics Osteoporosis Bone loading School-based intervention

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15765

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/15765