Effects of Combined Exercise Program on Body Composition, Lipid and Cortisol Levels in Blood among Middle School Students with Intellectual Disability

Kun-Woo Park,Seung-Yong Kim

doi:10.3991/ijoe.v16i13.18723

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify physiological responses through combined exercddise for intellectually disabled people who view obesity as one of their physical characteristics. To achieve the purpose of this study, an eight-week compound exercise was conducted on 28 intellectually disabled middle school students residing in K city and the average and standard deviation for groups (normal BMI groups, obese BMI groups) were calculated. In addition, data processing was performed using two way repeated measured ANOVA using SPSS 18.0, and post-verification was performed if there were significant differences. The results are as follows: First, there was no change in weight for middle school students with intellectual disabilities through eight weeks of combined exercise. However, the lean body mass increased in the standard population, body fat mass and BMI decreased in the standard population, and the bone density factor increased in both the standard population and the obese population. Second, neutral fat decreased in the standard group, and the low-density cholesterol factor decreased in the obesity group. Third, cortisol factors have been shown to decrease in standard groups. In conclusion, the eight-week compound exercise has been shown to have an effect of improvement in the physical composition and blood lipid variables of middle school students with intellectual disabilities.

Highlights

For people with disabilities, participating in sports activities on a regular basis improves health and motor functions, leading to social engagement rather than isolation [1]
The study subjects were middle school students drawn from facilities and special schools located in “K” city, Republic of Korea, who were diagnosed with intellectual disability from healthcare institutions
The selection was made among the students who were considered to have low level of physical activity based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)

Summary

Introduction

For people with disabilities, participating in sports activities on a regular basis improves health and motor functions, leading to social engagement rather than isolation [1]. Because intellectually disabled students show high prevalence of obesity [5,8] and desire for food consumption [9] in addition to decreased motor function as they age, there is an urgent interventional need for effective weight management [10]. To prevent the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, combined exercise consisted of aerobic and resistance exercise is effective in inducing growth hormone for development and weight control [11,12,13]. It suppresses appetite, which is a positive benefit to treat obesity [14]

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion