Effects of Physical Exercise on Motor Skills and Body Composition of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Detailed Review

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) make up about 2% of the total population, in addition to the cognitive and social problems which they face, physical abilities are at a very low level, during life. At the same time, people with ID show deficits in motor status which is associated with poor perception of information and inability to execute movements and with constant variation of body status indicators. The aim of this detailed review was to summarize previous works that examined the effects that regular physical activity has on motor and physical status in ID. The following index databases were used to collect adequate literature: GoogleScholar, PubMed, SciIndex, ResearchGate, MEDLINE. A systematic review of the available literature was performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reports for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The training processes of people with ID are adapted to the level of disability. Research that has studied the effects of adequate and regular physical activity highlights the importance of these programs in reducing the consequences and improving the quality of life of this population, improving motor skills and body composition, in the future this knowledge should be combined with the benefits of nutritional programs to see the overall effects on motor skills and body composition in people with ID, so future research examining long-term positive sides is necessary.