Effects of a School-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Obesity, Health-Related Physical Fitness, and Blood Pressure in Children with Intellectual Disability: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Aiwei Wang, Danran Bu, Siyue Yu, Yan Sun, Jingjing Wang, Tinky Chin Ting Lee, Julien S. Baker, Yang Gao*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Children with intellectual disability (ID) are more vulnerable to health conditions than their typically developing peers. Evidence of effective interventions is scarce. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 30 overweight and obese children with intellectual disability (ID) in China to evaluate a 12-week school-based physical activity intervention for obesity, health-related physical fitness (HRPF), and blood pressure. The intervention consisted of 24 physical activity (PA) sessions (2 sessions/week, 60 min/session), with exercise intensity progressively increasing from a moderate level to a vigorous level. All participants were followed up for 12 weeks after the intervention period to evaluate sustained effects. Outcomes were repeatedly measured at baseline, after the intervention, and after follow-up. The intervention was effective in reducing some obesity-related outcomes (including weight and body mass index) and improving some HRPF-related outcomes (including the 6 min walk test and the 30 s sit-to-stand test), with the significant effects being sustained after the 12-week follow-up. No effect was observed on blood pressure. The findings of this study contribute to the development and implementation of PA interventions to reduce obesity and improve HRPF in children with ID.

Original languageEnglish
Article number12015
Number of pages20
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume19
Issue number19
Early online date22 Sept 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2022

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Pollution
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

User-Defined Keywords

  • blood pressure
  • children
  • China
  • exercise
  • health-related fitness
  • intellectual disability
  • intervention
  • obesity
  • overweight
  • physical activity
  • randomized controlled trial (RCT)

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