Effectivenss of a structured virtual exercise programme among intellectually disabled individuals in Kelantan

• Main Author: Othman, Norhasmira
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: R Medicine; RA Public aspects of medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.usm.my/63349/

Intellectually disabled (ID) have problems in terms of intellectual function and behaviour adjustment, however it depends on their severity. In fact, person with ID is more likely to be obese, physically inactive, and twice as likely high risk to suffer from some chronic diseases. In order to improve general health, it is best to prioritize a healthy lifestyle and to break bad habits through exercise. The present study aimed to determine the effect of 8-weeks structured virtual exercise program on selected fitness components among people with ID in Kelantan. Thirty participants aged 22.6 ± 2.8 years old were randomly assigned into two groups, i.e., exercise and control groups. The participants were recruited from 16 rehabilitation centre in the community (PDK) in Kelantan. Participants in the exercise group was involved virtual strength and cardio exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times per week in 8-weeks. Meanwhile, control group had continued with their daily routines and did not involve directly with any exercise. At baseline, the participants were categorized to have an ideal body weight, as BMI was in normal range, 21.2 ± 0.07 kg/m2. Overall, the mean of sit and reach values among the participants were 4.6 ± 8.8cm which was categorized as average. Participant’s handgrip was 27.8 ± 9.7kg which was known as weak. Meanwhile, their standing long jump distance was 140.8 ± 50.2cm, 20-meter speed was 4.5 ± 1.6s and 800meter run walk test was 6.2 ± 1.6min which were considered as average. After 8 weeks of intervention, the exercise group demonstrated significant improvements in fat free mass (FFM) (increased 21.3%), fat percentage (reduced 11.7%) and body mass index (BMI) (reduced 0.9%) despite no changes in body weight. Moreover, the control group showed small positive changes on all body composition parameters except for BMI (increased 2%). As for selected fitness component tests, exercise groups improved significantly on sit and reach (p = 0.018, 33.2% better flexibility) and 800m run and walk (p = 0.007, 11% faster time). While participants in the control group showed significant reductions in hand grip strength (p = 0.024), they performed very well in 20-meter speed tests (p = 0.017, 8.5 % faster in time) at post-test, which were better than the exercise groups. According to further analysis using Kinovea software, there were no significant differences in the speed, velocity and stride length between exercise and control groups. Nevertheless, the stride length of the exercise group widened by 5.9% at post-test compared to the stride length of the control group, which reduced by 1.9% during a 20-meter speed test. As a result, strength and cardio virtual exercise for 8 weeks can be beneficial to individuals with ID on body composition, the majorities of fitness components, particularly in terms of sit and reach and endurance activities and stride length during running. Future studies will require longer durations for further significant improvements on overall selected fitness components.