The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Experience

Holder, Matt

doi:10.1249/jsr.0000000000000158

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Twelve adolescents (5 boys and 7 girls), aged 16-20 years, with mild ID, participated in the study. ID is defined as having an IQ below 70 and having problems with at least 2 adaptive abilities like to take care of oneself such as hygiene or finances (Holder, 2015). Participants were strategic recruited from a special class in Upper Secondary school in Sweden for this case study.…”

Section: Participants and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) and their perceptions of, and motivation for, physical activity and organised sports

Hansen

Nordén

Ohlsson

2021

Sport, Education and Society

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Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are less physically active than individuals without ID, and rarely reach the recommended daily level of physical activity (PA). It is understood that both social interaction and the ability to perform physical work affect participation in daily activity as well as PA. Individuals with ID generally have a higher risk of hypertension and obesity-related cardiovascular diseases than individuals without ID. Professional service providers, teachers and parents are often those being asked about potential challenges related to PA, as it is more seldom that this knowledge comes from the target group (ID) themselves. This identifies a lack of knowledge about PA and sports for individuals with ID. The aim of this study was to identify perceptions of, and motivation for, PA and sports among adolescents with ID. Twelve Swedish male and female adolescents with ID participated in the study, which comprised one semi-structured interview. The interviews identified three main categories: Activity, Surroundings and Body-and health awareness. Adolescents with ID seemed intrinsic motivated to participate in PA, organised sports and activities in general. Support from significant others, teachers, family and friends and support as well as the feeling of joy are connected to normative beliefs which all seem crucial. The participants were aware of their limitations, but sometimes feel bullied and afraid of being excluded, which relates to their normative beliefs. Participation in PA and organised sports may be positively associated with health, but limitations such as lack of awareness and support from society challenge the perception of 'fitting in'. This research has raised the voice of adolescents with ID and identified the need for increased knowledge of their perceptions for a more inclusive world. School PE is an arena where adolescents can still be reached regarding PA and thereby should be prioritised.

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Section: Participants and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) and their perceptions of, and motivation for, physical activity and organised sports

Hansen

Nordén

Ohlsson

2021

Sport, Education and Society

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“…One example is Special Olympics (SO) which encourages sport practice among people with ID and offers them opportunities for involvement in sport and enhanced social networks (Bowers et al, in press). One of the greatest initiatives of the SO is the program called Healthy Athletes, which aims at developing and improving the PF level of people with ID (Holder, ). With this in mind, sport coaches could resort to those field‐based fitness tests they consider valid to be administered to people with DS, rather than measure their level of PF using test batteries that have traditionally been designed for populations with ID in general, as stated in the present review.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability and Validity of Physical Fitness Field‐Based Tests in Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Pérez

Martínez-Lemos

Ballesteros

et al. 2016

Policy Practice Intel Disabi

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Physical fitness is an important marker of health that can be measured by means of field‐based tests, though research about its psychometric properties when performed by people with Down syndrome is scarce. A systematic review was designed to identify the validity and reliability of the existing physical fitness field‐based tests that have been administered to individuals with Down syndrome. An evidence‐based search for peer‐reviewed studies was conducted informing about the reliability and/or validity of physical fitness field‐based tests that have been administered to individuals with Down syndrome utilizing the PubMed, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus databases throughout the period November 2014 to May 2015. Of the 15 studies selected, all provided information about reliability, but only seven included validity measurement for the field tests chosen to assess physical fitness in Down syndrome cohorts. Aerobic resistance field test assessments were the most frequent, totalling 7 studies, while 5 investigations used strength tests instead and 3 of them used balance tests. Only one study used agility as a parameter. There was a noticeable lack of studies that analyzed the reliability or validity of physical fitness field‐based tests in people with Down syndrome, especially in adult and elderly populations. The half‐mile run‐walk, hand‐held dynamometer, and the four square balance tests seem to be the most valid field‐based tests when assessing aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and balance respectively in groups of persons with Down syndrome.

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“…All trained clinical professionals had received information and videos about the tests one month before the screening and participated in a digital education about persons with ID and the Special Olympics. The day before the screening, all the trained clinical professionals received training on all the tests from the clinical directors (person who is responsible for ensuring that the measurements are correct and that they comply with the Special Olympics standard set) (Holder, 2015) for FUNfitness and Health Promotion. The athletes did not perform any familiarization session prior to the tests.…”

Section: Trained Clinical Professionalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approximately 2% of the world's population has an intellectual disability (ID) (Krahn et al, 2006). ID is defined as having an IQ below 70 and having problems with at least two adaptive abilities such as taking care of personal hygiene or finances (Holder, 2015). Adults with ID have a higher degree of sedentary lifestyle and participate in less physical activity (PA) compared to the general population (Rintala et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Special Olympics athletes and non-athletes with intellectual disability: physical activity, strength and aerobic fitness

Oskarsson¹,

Vikberg²,

Hansen³

et al. 2023

Eur. J. Adapt. Phys. Act.

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Adults with intellectual disability (ID) have higher degree of sedentary lifestyle and participate less in physical activity (PA) compared to the general population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyse differences in the level of PA and the fitness level, i.e., body mass index (BMI), muscular strength and aerobic fitness, among people with ID based on participation in the Special Olympics. Data were analysed from the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2020, on athletes (n=38) and non-athletes with ID (n=20) on strength (partial sit-up, seated push-up, handgrip and timed sit to stand test), aerobic fitness (2 min step test), BMI, and a PA questionnaire. Athletes showed higher levels of moderate intensity PA, both groups had high BMI, low levels of aerobic fitness and strength. From this study, Special Olympics athletes and non-athletes with ID need to increase their PA consisting of both strength training and high intensity PA to improve physical health aspects.

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The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Experience

Cited by 11 publications

References 3 publications

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) and their perceptions of, and motivation for, physical activity and organised sports

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) and their perceptions of, and motivation for, physical activity and organised sports

Reliability and Validity of Physical Fitness Field‐Based Tests in Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Differences in Special Olympics athletes and non-athletes with intellectual disability: physical activity, strength and aerobic fitness

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