The Effect of Physical Exercise on Body Composition, Motor Performance, Behavioral Disorders, and Balance in Women with Intellectual Disabilities

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Physical Education, Ra.C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran. (Corresponding Author)

2 Department of Physical Education, Ra.C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran.

10.22038/mjms.2025.26143

Abstract

Introduction: Physical exercise is considered one of the most effective rehabilitation strategies, playing a crucial role in improving the physical and psychological well-being of women with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of strength–balance training on body composition, motor skills, and behavioral disorders in educable intellectually disabled women. 
Methods: This semi-experimental study employed a pre-test–post-test design with experimental and control groups. The participants were 30 educable intellectually disabled women (mean age = 25.51 ± 3.84 years; mean weight = 63.25 ± 8.06 kg) who were selected through purposive and convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The training program for the experimental group included strength and balance exercises. Statistical analysis was conducted using independent t-tests for between-group comparisons and paired t-tests for within-group differences, with a significance level set at P ≤ 0.05.
Results: The findings indicated no significant changes in body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.281) and body fat percentage (p = 0.112). However, significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in static balance (p = 0.001), dynamic balance (p = 0.000), and running motor performance (p = 0.001). Furthermore, significant improvements were found in behavioral disorders, specifically inattention (p = 0.041) and restlessness (p = 0.007), in the experimental group compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that six weeks of strength–balance training led to improvements in static and dynamic balance, reduction in behavioral disorders, and enhancement of running motor performance in educable intellectually disabled women.

Keywords

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Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences
Volume 68, Issue 3
May and June 2025
Pages 617-626

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