Clinical Effectiveness of an Aquatic Exercise Program on Those With Visual Impairment: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Visual impairments impact an individual’s ability to participate in certain activities, like exercise. Often, individuals with visual impairment have difficulty maintaining an active lifestyle, due to inopportunity and safety hazards. There is a lack of research on the use of aquatic exercise as a form of physical activity in those with visual impairments. The purpose of this study was to determine if this population can tolerate and benefit from an aquatic exercise program. Additionally, this study served to determine the effects of aquatic exercise on cardiovascular fitness, strength, and quality of life in individuals with visual impairment. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study, evaluating participants with visual impairment aged 30 to 80 years, recruited from Northeast Sight Services in Exeter, PA. This study was reviewed and accepted by the Misericordia University Institutional Review Board. Eight participants were guided by physical therapy students and a primary researcher through a biweekly, 8-week aquatic exercise program at the Misericordia University Anderson Center Pool. This study utilized a pretest/post-test design to collect outcome measures. These included the 6-Minute Walk Test, 30-S Chair Stand Test, Modified Borg Ratings of Perceived Exertion (mRPE), the Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale, and the SF-36. Results: Paired t-tests and Cohen’s d were performed for the 6-Minute Walk Test (p = .04).953; Cohen’s d = 0.77, and the 30 Second Chair Stand Test (p = .02); Cohen’s d = 0.95 with large effect and significance. A Wilcoxon Signed Ranks and Cohen’s d were utilized for the mRPE 3 min, Cohen’s d = 0.27, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks 2.032 (p = .042), Borg RPE d = 1.054 and the SF-36 Cohen’s d = 2.3063. Discussion and Conclusion: This aquatic exercise program was tolerated well in this population and the results provide rehabilitation specialists an opportunity to promote health through aquatic programs for those with visual impairment. Furthermore, aquatic exercise was shown to be effective in improving lower extremity strength, cardiovascular endurance, and quality of life in participants, suggesting that aquatic exercise is a feasible intervention for this population.