The functional fitness capacity of adults with Down syndrome in South Africa

Abstract

Background It is well established that there is a relationship between physical inactivity and increased risk for diseases of lifestyle. Persons with Down syndrome (DS) are especially at risk because of physical and health impairments, as well as perceived and real barriers to participation in exercise. The purpose of the study was to establish the functional fitness capacity and predictors of performance of DS adults. Methods Data were collected at various intellectual disability centres and private homes in seven provinces of South Africa. Three hundred and seventy‐one DS individuals (199 men and 172 women) from 18 to 66 years were tested for balance, flexibility, coordination, muscular strength and endurance, aerobic capacity and functional ability. Data were categorised according to gender and age groups (18–25, 26–35, 36–45, and >45 years). Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the functional task and physical test items. Results Down syndrome men performed significantly better on all but two tests compared with the women (P < 0.05). DS women performed better on the sit‐and‐reach flexibility item and the chair stand test; however, differences were not statistically significant from the men. Significant differences across age groups were observed for nine of the 13 functional fitness tests (P < 0.05). Muscular strength items, especially leg strength, significantly predicted functional performance in DS men and women. Aerobic capacity only predicted functional performance in DS men and sit‐and‐reach flexibility and dynamic balance only in DS women. Conclusions Findings of this study provide important information on the functional capacity of DS adults and show which physical attributes contribute to functional performance. Consequently appropriate training programmes can be tailored for this population whom is known to have poor functional fitness.

The effect of aquatic exercises on the physical and functional fitness of adults with Down syndrome: A non‐randomised controlled trial

“…Discriminant validity has been reported in adults with DS between age categories (18-25, 26-35, 36-45 and >45) (Terblanche and Boer 2013). On the signal 'go', the participant got up from the chair, walked as quickly as possible to a cone placed 2.43 m (8 ft) away, walked around the cone and returned to the chair.…”

“…Aerobic activities that are primarily used included modalities consisting of running (Tsimaras et al 2003;Boer and Moss 2016a), cycling (Mendonca and Pereira 2009) and rowing (Varela et al 2001). An improvement in muscular strength is also important, as this variable has been shown to predict functional performance and the ability to perform everyday living activities specifically in adults with DS (Cowley et al 2010;Terblanche and Boer 2013). Low levels of physical fitness may cause functional deterioration as well as reduce bone mineral density and worsening existing clinical conditions (González-Agüero et al 2010).…”

Ageing of people with Down’s syndrome

“…Moreover, the strength of patients with an intellectual disability and DS was reported to be lower than that of patients with intellectual disabilities who did not have DS (Carmeli et al, 2002b). People over 45 years of age with DS were found to perform worse in different functional tests than did younger individuals (Carmeli et al, 2004(Carmeli et al, , 2012Terblanche and Boer, 2013). Finally, knee extension and flexion isokinetic strength in elderly people with DS appeared to improve after treadmill training (Carmeli et al, 2002a).…”

“…Restrictions for the ICF categories Maintaining a body position (d415) and Hand and arm use (d445) have been identified. Studies showed that for balance, flexibility and coordination (Carmeli et al, 2012;Terblanche and Boer, 2013), the physical and functional profile of elderly people with DS was worse than in younger people with DS.…”

The Game of Life soccer program: Effect on skills, physical fitness and mobility in persons with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder

“…However, it has been reported that muscular strength is a better predictor of functional tasks in participants with intellectual disability than aerobic capacity (Terblanche & Boer, 2013). Due to the practical limitations of the time available for performing the fitness tests, as well as the restricted environmental conditions for developing aerobic training in most teams, the 6-min walk test that measures endurance was not included.…”