Standing Long Jump Performance in Youth with Visual Impairments: A Multidimensional Examination

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Exercise Science
• Disability Studies
• Motor Development

Background:

• Muscular fitness, including explosive strength assessed by the standing long jump (SLJ), is crucial for youth health.
• Youth with visual impairments (VI) often exhibit poorer health and performance outcomes.
• Limited research exists on SLJ performance in youth with VI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate multidimensional SLJ performance in youth with VI.
• To describe SLJ outcomes and their frequencies in this population.
• To explore associations between SLJ performance and factors like age and multimorbidity.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from 61 youth with VI (mean age 12.98 years).
• Multidimensional SLJ assessment including distance, motor development, landing mechanics, and stabilization.
• Robust linear bivariate regressions were used to explore associations.

Main Results:

• Overall SLJ performance was substandard in youth with VI.
• Most SLJ assessment scores were predictive of other SLJ scores.
• Few hypothesized factors, such as multimorbidity, predicted SLJ performance.

Conclusions:

• Youth with VI in this sample likely have reduced explosive strength and muscular fitness.
• SLJ performance in this group may not be influenced by expected factors like age.
• These findings highlight potential disparities in physical health for youth with VI.