THE EFFECTS OF AN ADAPTED BASKETBALL TRAINING PROGRAM ON THE PHYSICAL FITNESS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH MENTAL RETARDATION: A PILOT STUDY
Abstract
Introduction: Previous studies have determined a direct connection between levels of physical fitness and the time needed to perform daily tasks in the case of adults with intellectual disability. These findings indicate that physical activity can improve the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of an eight-week specially adapted basketball training program on the physical fitness of adolescents with mental retardation.
Methods: Twelve adolescents (6 males and 6 females, mean age 15.1±1.5 yrs) with mental retardation participated in the study. A specially adapted basketball training program was conducted four times per week, during eight consecutive weeks. Each training session lasted approximately 30 minutes. Anthropometric measurements included body height, body weight, and percentage of fatty tissue. Exercise testing included monitoring of heart rate frequency (HR at the rest and HR at the end of the 6 MWT) and the six-minute walk test (6 MWT).
Results: The obtained results showed that the specially adapted training program improved the physical fitness of adolescents with mental retardation (6 MWT distance 473.7 m ±74.5 pre vs. 672.6 m ± 76.1 post, p<0.05; HR at the end of the 6 MWT 122.1 beats/min ± 16.5 pre vs. 116.8 beats/min ± 9.4 post, p<0.05). However, this kind of training did not lead to improved body weight or percentage of fat tissue of the adolescent participants.
Conclusion: Considering the small number of participants who were involved in the study, the obtained results can provide only limited information on the sources and magnitude of the variation of response measures, but can allow the design of a full-scale experiment on this topic.
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