An examination of health-related physical fitness levels in Hong Kong youth with intellectual disability

The purpose of this study was to compare health-related physical fitness in Hong Kong youth, with and without intellectual disability (ID). A stratified, random sample of 457 youth with mild ID (272 boys, 185 girls, CA 6-18 years) completed 6/9-minute run, sit-up, sit-and-reach, and sum of skinfold evaluations. Fitness data for youth without ID were obtained from previously established norms. MANOVA (age x gender) and trend analysis were used to examine fitness in youth with ID. Sample t-tests were used to compare fitness performance between youth with ID, and established norms for youth without ID. Males with ID performed better on the 6/9-minute run (p = 0.03), sit-ups (p = 0.02) and had lower skinfold measures (p = 0.01) than females, while females performed better on the sit-and-reach (p = 0.01) than males. The youth with ID demonstrated lower scores on the 6/9-minute run, compared to those without ID (p = 0.04), but performances on other test items varied according to age and gender. There were few differences in physical fitness between Hong Kong youth with and without ID; however, both groups appeared extremely unfit compared to peers in other developed countries.