Article

This study systematically reviewed the impact of physical exercise interventions
on physical fitness for individuals with Down syndrome.
Articles published in
English were searched from five major electronic databases, namely, CINAHL,
Medline, PsychINFO, SPORTDiscus, and PEDro from inception until April 2013. These
studies were screened through predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data
were then extracted and synthesized from the studies included. Meta-analyses were
carried out where appropriate. Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of
the 10 studies, five studies were found to have high quality research methodology
according to the PEDro scale. Varying exercise programs were used and four
different fitness outcomes were evaluated: (i) balance, (ii) muscle strength and
endurance, (iii) cardiovascular fitness, and (iv) body composition. Exercise
interventions led to moderate to high effects on improving muscular strength and
balance ((Equation is included in full-text article.)=0.74-1.10) whereas other
outcomes showed less conclusive or limited positive evidence. Trends in the
results suggest that exercise interventions improve muscular strength and
balance. Suggestions for future research include follow-ups to the intervention
to examine the longitudinal effects of exercise as well as controlling for
confounding factors such as participants' compliance rate and severity levels of
Down syndrome to enhance the effectiveness of the interventions.

Langue : ANGLAIS