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Published on: August 24, 2019
Aerobic exercise improves lung function in children with intellectual disability: a randomised trial
Mohammad A Khalili1, Mark R Elkins
1Faculty of Rehabilitation, Semnan University (Medical Sciences), Semnan, Iran. moh35ir@yahoo.co.UK
Insights
Aerobic exercise significantly improves lung function in children with intellectual disability. An 8-week program enhanced measures like forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Children with intellectual disability often have reduced lung function compared to typically developing peers.
- Understanding factors that can improve respiratory health in this population is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if children with intellectual disability have lower lung function than healthy peers.
- To determine if an aerobic exercise program can improve lung function in these children.
Main Methods:
- A randomized trial with blinded assessors was conducted.
- Forty-four 12-year-old children with intellectual disability participated.
- The intervention group engaged in 8 weeks of supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling) for 30 minutes, five days a week.
Main Results:
- Baseline lung function (FEV1 and FVC) was lower than predicted normal values.
- The exercise group showed significantly greater improvements in FEV1 (160 ml) and FVC (330 ml) compared to the control group after 8 weeks.
Conclusions:
- An 8-week aerobic exercise program leads to significant improvements in lung function for children with intellectual disability.
- This intervention offers a viable strategy to enhance respiratory health in this population.
Question:
In children with intellectual disability, is lung function lower than in healthy peers and does it improve with exercise?
Design:
Randomised trial with intention-to-treat analysis and assessor blinding.
Participants:
Forty-four 12-year old children with Down syndrome or other intellectual disability with an average IQ of 42 (SD 8).
Intervention:
The experimental group performed aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, five days per week, for eight weeks. The exercise was supervised walking, running, and cycling, with a target of moderate intensity. The control group continued usual activities and performed no specific exercise.
Outcome Measures:
Lung function as FEV1 and FVC in litres was measured with spirometry at baseline and after the intervention at eight weeks. Prior to the baseline measures, all participants underwent familiarisation of spirometry for one week.
Results:
At baseline, FEV1 of the children with intellectual disability was a mean of 87% (95% CI 83 to 91) and FVC was 94% (95% CI 91 to 97) of predicted normal values. After intervention, FEV(1) had increased by 160 ml (95% CI 30 to 290) and FVC by 330 ml (95% CI 200 to 460) more in the experimental group than the control group.
Conclusion:
An 8-week program of aerobic exercise improves lung function in children with intellectual disability significantly.
Trial Registration:
ACTRN12609000365268.
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