Swimming exercise support respiratory functions of children with mild intellectual disabilities: controlled study

Children with mild intellectual disabilities have lower lung function than typically developing peers. The aim of this study is to analyse the effects of an 18-week medium-intensity swimming exercise on lung parameters of children with mild intellectual disabilities. In the study, participants were divided into experimental (n:8) and control group (n:8). An 18-week basic swimming exercise (60 min/3 days/18 weeks) was performed in the experimental group, while no practice was performed in the control group. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Tiffeneau Index (FEV₁/FVC ratio), Vital Capacity (VC) and Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV) parameters of the participants were measured. Pre-test and post-test comparisons of experimental and control groups were made with the Mann Whitney U-Test. In addition, analysis of lung values of experimental and control groups before and after exercise was performed with the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. We also calculated the effect size (ES) results of the interactions between the variables, using partial eta squared and Cohen's d. Statistically there was significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores of VC parameter in experimental group. Examining the effect sizes, experimental had a higher impact level in FEV1/FVC, VC, MVV (.571_medium/0.647_medium/.490_small). The results indicate that the Swimming is more effective in FEV1/FVC, MVV and VC. In order to understand the effectiveness of swimming exercise on lung function, studies which include time and training models (duration, severity, intensity) should be conducted in the future.