ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicTowards a Psychophysiological Approach in Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sports-Volume VView all 25 articles
The effect of practicing sports on the body composition and physical fitness of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Provisionally accepted
Susana Diz1,2
Miguel Jacinto2,3
Aldo Matos Costa1,2
Rui Matos2,3
Diogo Monteiro2,3
José Eduardo Teixeira4,5
Raul Antunes2,3*- 1Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
- 2Centro de Investigacao em Desporto Saude e Desenvolvimento Humano, Vila Real, Portugal
- 3Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
- 4Instituto Politecnico de Braganca, Bragança, Portugal
- 5Instituto Politecnico da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal
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The aim of this study was to analyses the effect of a sport-based intervention, with weekly 60-minute sessions over 36 weeks, on the body composition and functional physical fitness of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The sample consisted of 36 institutionalized participants with IDD, divided into two groups: experimental group with 23 participants (M=37.26; SD=13.84) and control group with 13 individuals (M=38.31; SD=14.22). A stadiometer, bioimpedance equipment and the Hand Grip, Sit and Stand, Timed Up and Go and 6 Minute Walk tests were used to assess the variables of interest. The experimental group showed statistically significant values in body mass index (p=0.01; r=0.301), muscle mass (p<0.01; r=0.431), Sit and Stand Test (p=0.01; r=0.324) and 6 Minute Walk Test (p<0.01; r=0.399). The results suggest that long-term programs based on the practice of sports can bring benefits to the body composition and functional physical fitness of adults with IDD.
Keywords: Intellectual Disability, Sedentary Lifestyle, Sports, Physical Fitness, Body Composition
Received: 26 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Diz, Jacinto, Costa, Matos, Monteiro, Teixeira and Antunes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Raul Antunes, raul.antunes@ipleiria.pt
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