PHYSICAL FITNESS AND ITS TESTING IN ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY Kati Karinharju

Master’s thesis Summer 2005 Department of Sport Sciences University of Jyväskylä

ABSTRACT

Kati Karinharju. Physical fitness and its testing in adults with intellectual disability. Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Master’s thesis. 2005, 76 p. This study is a part of the longitudinal study of physical performance of individuals with intellectual disability (Lahtinen, Rintala & Malin 2005). The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical fitness level of adults with intellectual disability (ID) and to explore the testing situation itself from the pedagogical view. The participants consisted of 28 women and 35 men with mild to moderate intellectual disability aged 40 – 47. Eighteen of the participants (N= 63) had Down syndrome (DS). The physical fitness level was evaluated from the measurements of BMI, 1-mile walking test, sit-up test, hand grip test, sit-and-reach test, single leg balance test and heel-to-toe dynamic balance test. Each participant performed all test items, except 43 participants performed 1-mile walking test. The pedagogical analysis of test situation was made by observing the videotapes and analyzing the notes of the researcher. Pedagogical items observed were familiarization, guidance and motivational strategies. The results revealed that the difference between females and males with ID was statistically significant (p< .01) in sit-up and hand grip tests and very significant (p