Reference Values for the Muscle Power Sprint Test

Activity, Motor Clinical Trial

— Ref MPST  

Official title:

Reference Values for the Muscle Power Sprint Test in Children Aged 5-12 Years

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06448520
• Other study ID #: NL86724.000.24
• Secondary ID: 12322
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 2024
• Est. completion date: September 2025

Study information

• Verified date: June 2024
• Source: Erasmus Medical Center
• Contact: Louis Dossche, MD
• Phone: 0031107036084
• Email: l.dossche[@]erasmusmc.nl
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this prospective, cross-sectional study is to develop updated reference values for the Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST) in children aged 5-12 years.

The main question it aims to answer is:

• What are reference ('normal') values for the MPST in children aged 5-12 years?

Participants will be asked to perform six short sprints of fifteen meters each, with a ten-second rest between each effort.

Description:

SUMMARY Rationale: Children with congenital abnormalities face risks of below-average lung function and exercise tolerance (1-3). As the standard of care, our tertiary hospital enrolls these children in a prospective, longitudinal follow-up program from birth (4). This program involves regular assessments of overall health and development, including spirometry and exercise tolerance tests conducted by pediatric physiotherapists. Historically, the Bruce treadmill protocol was employed for testing maximal exercise tolerance in children aged 4 and above, but it presented limitations such as high muscular demands of the steep inclines and large workload increments, impacting reliability and potentially causing premature discontinuation (5).

In response, the Bruce protocol was replaced in newer follow-up program versions by the Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST). Unlike the Bruce protocol, which assesses aerobic capacity, the MPST focuses on anaerobic exercise capacity, which is crucial for children's daily activities like playing with peers (6). Performing the MPST involves six short runs of 15 meters, from which the calculated 'mean power' serves as the primary outcome. The distance covered during these runs corresponds well to the distances children cover during daily play activities.

While Dutch norm values for children aged 6-18 exist, gathered mainly in rural areas between 2012 and 2016, the study highlights the need for updated reference values. Lifestyle changes, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, underscore the urgency of updating exercise tolerance reference values (7). Notably, there is a current lack of established reference values for 5-year-olds undergoing MPST testing in our longitudinal follow-up program, emphasizing the need for comparative data in this age group.

Objective: Our primary goal is to establish reference values for the MPST for primary school children aged 5-12 belonging to a diverse population living in the Netherlands.

Study design: The study adopts a prospective cross-sectional design.

Study population: Primary school or after-school childcare children aged 5-12 years.

Intervention (if applicable): The MPST, which involves six 15-meter sprints at maximum pace between the two cones/lines, with a 10-second rest in between each effort.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome is generating reference values for the MPST for typical children aged 5-12.

Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: We believe the risks of experiencing drawbacks from study participation are minimal. The Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST) is non-invasive, involving six short, consecutive 15-meter sprints - similar to activities children commonly engage in, such as games like tag or hide-and-seek - with a 10-second rest after every run. Individual testing and warm-up rounds further mitigate potential risks, and we estimate the likelihood of injuries or adverse effects to be lower than those encountered in a standard physical education class.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 480
• Est. completion date: September 2025
• Est. primary completion date: March 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 5 Years to 12 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 5-12 years

• Attending primary education at one of the participating schools or attending participating after-school childcare centers.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contra-indication for maximal exercise due to cardiac or respiratory morbidities

• Injuries limiting maximal exercise capacity

• Known with motor function impairment which may hamper maximal exercise (e.g. neurologic comorbidities)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Activity, Motor
• Development, Child

Intervention

Other:
• Muscle Power Sprint Test
The Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST) is an easy-to-perform field test of anaerobic capacity for children and adolescents. The only necessities for the administration of this test are an open space, a stopwatch and two cones or lines. Test subjects are encouraged to perform six 15-meter sprints at a maximal pace between the two cones/lines, with a 10-second rest in between each effort. The distance covered during these short runs corresponds well to the distances children cover during daily play activities. The power that is generated with each sprint can be calculated using the formula: power = (total mass x 15 m²)/time³.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Erasmus Medical Center

References & Publications (7)

Bailey RC, Olson J, Pepper SL, Porszasz J, Barstow TJ, Cooper DM. The level and tempo of children's physical activities: an observational study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995 Jul;27(7):1033-41. doi: 10.1249/00005768-199507000-00012. — View Citation

Fredriksen PM, Ingjer F, Nystad W, Thaulow E. Aerobic endurance testing of children and adolescents--a comparison of two treadmill-protocols. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1998 Aug;8(4):203-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.1998.tb00193.x. — View Citation

Gischler SJ, Mazer P, Duivenvoorden HJ, van Dijk M, Bax NM, Hazebroek FW, Tibboel D. Interdisciplinary structural follow-up of surgical newborns: a prospective evaluation. J Pediatr Surg. 2009 Jul;44(7):1382-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2008.12.034. — View Citation

Hijkoop A, van Schoonhoven MM, van Rosmalen J, Tibboel D, van der Cammen-van Zijp MHM, Pijnenburg MW, Cohen-Overbeek TE, Schnater JM, IJsselstijn H. Lung function, exercise tolerance, and physical growth of children with congenital lung malformations at 8 years of age. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019 Aug;54(8):1326-1334. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24345. Epub 2019 Apr 22. — View Citation

Schaan CW, Macedo ACP, Sbruzzi G, Umpierre D, Schaan BD, Pellanda LC. Functional Capacity in Congenital Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2017 Oct;109(4):357-367. doi: 10.5935/abc.20170125. Epub 2017 Sep 4. — View Citation

Stockwell S, Trott M, Tully M, Shin J, Barnett Y, Butler L, McDermott D, Schuch F, Smith L. Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 Feb 1;7(1):e000960. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000960. eCollection 2021. — View Citation

Toussaint-Duyster LCC, van der Cammen-van Zijp MHM, de Jongste JC, Tibboel D, Wijnen RMH, Gischler SJ, van Rosmalen J, IJsselstijn H. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia and exercise capacity, a longitudinal evaluation. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019 May;54(5):628-636. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24264. Epub 2019 Feb 11. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Reference values for the MPST for children aged 5-12 years, both male and female.	Reference values for the MPST for children aged 5-12 years, both male and female.	Data gathering: 6 months, data processing: 6 months.