Sedentary lifestyle and hormonal contraceptive use in healthy females
Conditions
Interventions
Exercise intervention Hormonal Contraceptive Users
Exercise intervention Non Hormonal Contraceptive Users
Sponsors
Alwande Zulu
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Female
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: • Female participants aged 18 to 35 years. • Consistent user of hormonal contraceptives: defined as a female who has been regularly using any form of hormonal contraceptives (e.g., pills, injections, patches, or implants) for a continuous period of at least six months (World Health Organization, 2020). • Participants who do not use hormonal contraceptives, which refers to participants who are not currently using any form of hormonal contraceptives and have not used them for at least six months prior to the study. • Participants leading a sedentary lifestyle: Individuals predominantly engaging in no physical activity to low physical activity throughout the day, characterised by prolonged periods of sitting or reclining, and participate in less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week (World Health Organization, 2020).
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: • Physically active females who predominantly engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity and participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. • Pregnant and lactating individuals. • Self-reported smokers and participants with a body mass index (BMI) of >35kg/m2. • Females with chronic diseases and pharmacological treatment that can result in muscle atrophy, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, dermatomyositis, arthritis, neural damage, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. • Conditions that influence the functioning of the ovary, such as endometriosis, ovarian cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome, ovarian cysts, and primary ovarian insufficiency. • Females who have had a hysterectomy and females with cessation of menstruation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Body Composition. The components measured included body weight, height, BMI, and body fat percentage (BF%). ;Muscular fitness was evaluated through a series of standardised strength and endurance tests, categorised as follows. Muscular strength tests: wall squat test and arm curl test. Muscular endurance tests: sit to stand test, 1-minute push-up test and 7-stage abdominal. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Quality of life. Assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire. | — |
Countries
South Africa
Contacts
Public ContactAlwande Zulu
Student Researcher. University of Johannesburg
Outcome results
None listed