Effects of an Eight-Week Pilates Exercise Program on Some Physical Fitness Factors and Kinetic Performance in Girl Students with Intellectual Disability

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Sports Sciences, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

2 MSc Student, Department of Physical Education, Malekan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Malekan, Iran

10.22122/jrrs.v12i5.2747

Abstract

Introduction: Many studies have reported improved cardiorespiratory stamina, muscular strength, and flexibility as a result of Pilates workouts in healthy individuals. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of these workouts on physical fitness factors and kinetic performance in girl students with intellectual disability.Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 40 volunteer subjects with intellectual disability. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling. The subjects were randomly divided into control and experimental groups (n = 20 subjects). The experimental group took part in an 8-week program of 1-hour exercising sessions, 3 times a week. The control group did not have any exercise program during the study and kept their routine life. Subjects’ cardiorespiratory stamina, muscular strength, muscular stamina, flexibility, and body composition indices of height, weight, body fat percentage, Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and kinetic performance were measured 24 hours before and after the exercising program. Paired t-test was utilized to compare intragroup changes and means of the collected data.Results: No significant difference was observed in means of pretest and posttest in any of the variables in the control group. Nevertheless, Pilates workouts significantly influenced all variables in female students with intellectual disability in the experimental group.Conclusion: It seems that the 8-week Pilates workout program significantly improved physical fitness factors and kinetic performance in the subjects under study, and thus, enhanced their quality of life (QOL).

Keywords

  1. Felce D, Cohen D, Willner P, Rose J, Kroese B, Rose N, et al. Cognitive behavioural anger management intervention for people with intellectual disabilities: costs of intervention and impact on health and social care resource use. J Intellect Disabil Res 2015; 59(1): 68-81.
  2. Nik Ardakani MJ, Olyaei GR, Abdolvahab M, Bagheri H, Jalili M, Faghihzadeh S. The effects and maintainance of constraint-induced therapy on spasticity and function of upper extremity in hemiplegic cerebral palsy children 6 to 12 years old. J Mod Rehabil 2010; 4(3-4): 41-7. [In Persian].
  3. Demirel M. Primary school curriculum for educable mentally retarded children: A Turkish case. US-China Education Review 2010; 7(3): 79-91.
  4. Malekpoor M. Play therapy handbook. 1st ed. Isfahan, Iran: University of Isfahan Publications; 2011. p. 109-21. [In Persian].
  5. Omidali Z, Taheri H, Asfarjani F, Bambaeichi E, Marandi SM. Effects of Pilates training on some physiological variables and on physical fitness in untrained overweight females. J Res Rehabil Sci 2012; 8(1): 180-91. [In Persian].
  6. Tomporowski PD, McCullick B, Pendleton DM, Pesce C. Exercise and children's cognition: The role of exercise characteristics and a place for metacognition. J Sport Health Sci 2015; 4(1): 47-55.
  7. Atri B, Shafiei M. Pilates exercise (foundations of Contrology science). 2nd ed. Tehran, Iran: Talia Publications; 2012. p. 10-1. [In Persian].
  8. Aladro-Gonzalvo AR, Machado-Diaz M, Moncada-Jimenez J, Hernandez-Elizondo J, Araya-Vargas G. The effect of Pilates exercises on body composition: a systematic review. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2012; 16(1): 109-14.
  9. Pathan N, Kumar A. Effect of Asanas and Pilates on body composition of young sedentary women. Multidiscip Eng Sci Stud 2013; 2(2): 1-4.
  10. Ghorbanzadeh B. Effect of perceptual-motor practices on executive function in children with intellectual disability. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies 2015; 5: 6-13. [In Persian].
  11. Faal Moganloo H, hosseini F, Mikaili Manee F. Effect of Spark Motor Program on the development of gross motor skills in intellectually disabled educable boys. J Birjand Univ Med Sci 2013; 20(3): 262-70. [In Persian].
  12. Arslanoglu E, Senel O. Effects of Pilates training on some physiological parameters and cardiovascular risk factors of middle aged sedentary women. Intl J Sport Std 2013; 3(2): 122-9.
  13. Pescatello LS, American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Trans. Gaeini A, Samadi A, Khalesi M. 1st ed. Tehran, Iran: Hatmi Publications; 2014.
  14. Wells C, Kolt GS, Bialocerkowski A. Defining Pilates exercise: a systematic review. Complement Ther Med 2012; 20(4): 253-62.
  15. Jackson AS, Pollock ML. Practical assessment of body composition. Phys Sportsmed 1985; 13(5): 76-90.
  16. Balaji E, Murugavel K. Physiological parameters response to mat Pilates training on school level male handball players. Int J Adv Res Biol Sci 2015; 2(4): 131-5.
  17. Wolkodoff NE, Andrick R, Lazarus E, Braunstein B, Patch T. The physiological and health effects of a Pilates program combined with nutritional intervention on subjects with metabolic syndrome. Journal of Fitness Research 2013; 2(1): 17-29.
  18. Afzalpour M, Bani Asadi S, Ilbeigi S. The comparison of influence of Pilates and aerobic exercises on respiratory parameters in overweight girl students. Sport Physiology 2012; 4(15): 151-62. [In Persian].
  19. Yarmohammadian A, Shafie-Alavijeh1 F.The effect of psycho-motor rehabilitation program on psycho- motor skills improvement of educable mentally retarded female students in Isfahan city. J Res Rehabil Sci 2012; 8(4): 684-93. [In Persian].
  20. Heirani A, Rahmani M, Aghdasi MA, Yazdanbakhsh K. The effect of Pilates training on motor performance inactive elderly men. Research in Motor Behavior 2013; 1(1): 49-65. [In Persian].
  21. Irandoust K, Taheri M. The impact of yoga and Pilates exercises on older adults. Salmand Iran J Ageing 2016; 11(4): 152-61. [In Persian].
  22. Nazakatolhosaini M, Mokhtari M, Esfarjani F. The effect of Pilates training on improvement of motor and cognitive functions related to falling in elderly female. J Res Rehabil Sci 2012; 8(3): 489-501. [In Persian].
  23. Irez GB. Pilates exercise positively affects balance, reaction time, muscle strength, number of falls and psychological parameters in 65+ years old women [PhD Thesis]. Ankara, Turkey: The Graduate School of Social Sciences, Middle East Technical University; 2009.
  24. Lee SM, Lee CH, O'Sullivan D, Jung JH, Park JJ. Clinical effectiveness of a Pilates treatment for forward head posture. J Phys Ther Sci 2016; 28(7): 2009-13.
  25. Rogers K, Gibson AL. Eight-week traditional mat Pilates training-program effects on adult fitness characteristics. Res Q Exerc Sport 2009; 80(3): 569-74.
  26. Silva MF, Silva MAC, Campos RRD, Obara K, Mostagi FQRC, Cardoso APRG, et al. A comparative analysis of the electrical activity of the abdominal muscles during traditional and Pilates-based exercises under two conditions. Braz J Kinathrop Hum Perform 2013; 15: 296-304.
  27. Sekendiz Bl, Altun O, Korkusuz F, Akin S. Effects of Pilates exercise on trunk strength, endurance and flexibility in sedentary adult females. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2007; 11(4): 318-26.
  28. Lim HS, Kim YL, Lee SM. The effects of Pilates exercise training on static and dynamic balance in chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial. J Phys Ther Sci 2016; 28(6): 1819-24.
  29. Hyun J, Hwangbo K, Lee CW. The effects of Pilates mat exercise on the balance ability of elderly females. J Phys Ther Sci 2014; 26(2): 291-3.
  30. Bergamin M, Gobbo S, Bullo V, Zanotto T, Vendramin B, Duregon F, et al. Effects of a Pilates exercise program on muscle strength, postural control and body composition: results from a pilot study in a group of post-menopausal women. Age (Dordr) 2015; 37(6): 118.
  31. Niehues JR, Gonzales I, Lemos RR, Haas P. Pilates method for lung function and functional capacity in obese adults. Altern Ther Health Med 2015; 21(5): 73-80.
  32. Salar S, Daneshmandi H, Karimizadeh Ardakani M, Nazari Sharif H. The relationship of core strength with static and dynamic balance in children with autism. Ann Appl Sport Sci 2014; 2(4): 33-42. [In Persian].
  33. Fatemi R, Ghanbarzadeh M. Assessment of air way resistance indexes and exercise-induced asthma after a single session of submaximal incremental aerobic exercise. J Hum Kinet 2010; 25: 59-65.
  34. Ghaseminezhad A, Nourbakhsh M. The effect of an eight-week aerobic and Yoga training on the level of depression in non-athlete females aged over 40 years in Ahvaz Oil Industry. Harakat 2008; 35: 5-20. [In Persian].
  35. Khalili MA, Elkins MR. Aerobic exercise improves lung function in children with intellectual disability: a randomised trial. Aust J Physiother 2009; 55(3): 171-5.
  36. Ramezankhany A, Nazar Ali P, Hedayati M. Comparing effects of aerobics, Pilates exercises and low calorie diet on leptin levels and lipid profiles in sedentary women. Iran J Basic Med Sci 2011; 14(3): 256-63.