The effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise on the level of metabolic syndrome indices in girls with Down syndrome

Introduction and goal: 

Children with intellectual disabilities have different physical and mental characteristics than their healthy counterparts. There seems to be no way to prevent a state of mental disability. But it can be minimized by training and providing the right conditions. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise on the level of metabolic syndrome indicators in girls with Down syndrome.

The statistical population of this study includes girls with Down syndrome in Ahvaz city with an age range of 10 to 14 years. 20 people were purposefully selected, and after pre-test were divided into experimental and control groups. The program of the experimental group consisted of 16 sessions of aerobic exercise with an intensity of 60-70% of the maximum heart rate and the control group was inactive during this period. Finally, a post-test was performed and the results were recorded.

The results of t-test showed that there was no significant difference in glyceride level, insulin level, insulin resistance, bad cholesterol and hemoglobin level between the experimental and control groups. But in the amount of total cholesterol, triglyceride, good cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, the experimental group performed better than the control group.

According to the results, it can be said that aerobic exercise has some positive effects on some indicators of metabolic syndrome in people with Down syndrome.