The effect of aquatic exercises on the physical and functional fitness of adults with Down syndrome: A non‐randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background The importance of exercise for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) has been well documented. The use of aquatic exercises may be an attractive alternative to land‐based exercises for individuals with musculoskeletal conditions such as low muscle tone and excess adiposity as found in adults with DS. As a result, the purpose of the current study was to study the effect of an aquatic training intervention on the functional fitness for adults with DS. Methods Participants were recruited from two intellectually disabled care centres in the Western Cape of South Africa. Twenty‐three adults with DS (13 men and 10 women) (31.4 ± 7.4 years) were allocated to an aquatic training group or a control group. The exercise group performed 35 min of aquatic training, three times a week for 6 weeks, with an increase duration of 45 min after 3 weeks. Outcome measures assessed were aerobic capacity, muscular strength, functional ability and balance. Results The aerobic capacity and functional ability of the participants in the aquatic group improved significantly than in the control group with strong to medium effect sizes. Two out of the three strength parameters also improved significantly than in the control group. Conclusions The functional fitness of adults with DS improved with an aquatic intervention but was insufficient to improve balance and upper body strength. The improvement of various parameters associated with functional fitness is important in this population who age prematurely, suffer from the early onset of age‐related conditions, are vulnerable to falls and susceptible to chronic conditions.

Meta-analysis of metabolites involved in bioenergetic pathways reveals a pseudohypoxic state in Down syndrome

“…Functional fitness in DS can be meaningfully improved through physical exercise (Dodd and Shields 2005 ). For instance, a non-randomized controlled trial has found that the functional fitness of adults with DS improved with an aquatic training but was insufficient to improve balance and upper body strength (Boer and de Beer 2019 ).…”

The effect of 8 weeks of freestyle swim training on the functional fitness of adults with Down syndrome

“…Perhaps the additional buoyancy provided by a water medium and the hydrostatic pressure properties thereof did not result in an enhancement of static balance on land. A recent study conducted on adults with DS also did not improve static balance with water aerobics training (Boer and de Beer 2019). Static balance was however improved in a recent study performed on young adults with DS using functional training consisting of treadmill walking and step up/down training (Ahmadi et al .…”

“…The authors of this study did not provide information regarding the type, duration or composition of land and water exercises. On the contrary, another study using water aerobics as the training intervention found no significant improvements in body mass or BMI in adults with DS (Boer and de Beer 2019). A longitudinal study conducted by Cox et al .…”

“…However, many studies have not reported significant improvements in body mass and/or variables associated with body composition using experimental exercise studies (Mendonca et al . 2011, 2013; Boer and de Beer 2019). A recent meta‐analytic study performed on individuals with DS reported that there is inconclusive evidence for an improvement in aerobic capacity and a decrease in body mass index (BMI) (Ruiz‐González et al .…”

“…2019). Few studies have reported significant improvements in both muscular strength and cardiorespiratory endurance amongst adults with DS (Boer and de Beer 2019; Mendonca et al . 2013; Rimmer et al .…”