Functional fitness of adults with Down syndrome: a longitudinal study

• Published in: Journal of intellectual disability research Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 237 - 247
• Main Author: Boer, P. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aerobic capacity; Ageing; Aging; Balance; Body Composition; Down Syndrome; Exercise; Female; Flexibility; Functional fitness; Height; Humans; Longitudinal; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Physical activity; Physical Fitness; Tests; Aerobic capacity; Longitudinal; Down syndrome; Balance; Ageing; Functional fitness
• ISSN: 0964-2633; 1365-2788
• DOI: 10.1111/jir.13107

Background Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are born with and develop many health‐related complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the longitudinal functional fitness profile of adults with DS. Methods The functional fitness of adults with DS was tested twice, 12 years apart. Sixty‐six adults with DS were tested for body mass, stature and 10 functional fitness tests. Data were categorised according to gender and age‐specific categories. Results Static balance, shoulder flexibility, trunk strength and aerobic capacity deteriorated significantly with medium to large effect sizes for both DS men and women (most age categories). For women, dynamic balance deteriorated significantly, and for men, leg‐ and upper body‐strength deteriorated significantly. Conclusions Practitioners working in the field of adapted physical activity should take cognisance of the functional fitness ageing profile of adults with DS and timeously develop habitual physical activity interventions to reduce the effect of accelerated ageing experienced by this population.