RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BMI, PHYSICAL FITNESS & MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWNS SYNDROME
Main Article Content
Keywords
Body Mass Index, Down syndrome, Motor Skills, Physical Fitness
Abstract
Background:
Children with Down syndrome frequently experience particular difficulties with regard to their physical well-being and motor growth. The body mass index (BMI) measures body composition and weight status, whereas physical fitness measures general health and functional capacity.
Objective:
To evaluate the relationship between BMI, Physical fitness and motor skills in children with Downs syndrome.
Methods:
In our seven-month cross-sectional study, spanning December 2022 to June 2023, we evaluated 169 children between the ages of 6 to 11 (average age 7.96 ± 1.461 years). Participants were randomly selected The SAMU Disability Fitness Battery (SAMU-DISFIT) assessed physical fitness, encompassing Waist Circumference and BMI for Body Composition, the Time Up and Go Test for Motor Fitness, Deep Trunk Flexibility, Right and Left Hand Grip Strength, a 30-second Sit-Up, and a 10 Timed Stand Test for Musculoskeletal Fitness. Cardiorespiratory Fitness was evaluated with the 6-minute walk test. Motor skills assessment was conducted using the Total Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) test. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0
Results:
The results revealed the following associations: "Body Composition": Waist Circumference displayed a weak negative correlation (-0.205). "Motor Fitness": The Time up and Go Test showed a moderate negative correlation (-0.263). "Musculoskeletal Fitness": Grip Strength in the Right Hand had a significant strong positive correlation (0.559), and in the Left Hand, it showed a moderate positive correlation (0.484). Deep trunk Range of Motion (ROM) displayed a strong positive correlation (0.644). These findings underline the complexity of the relationship between BMI and various types of physical fitness and the need of taking several fitness factors into account when assessing an individual's overall health.
Conclusion: The study found a negative association between BMI and physical fitness and mobility. Underweight children with Down syndrome demonstrated better physical fitness and mobility compared to overweight children. These findings emphasize the importance of weight management for optimizing physical well-being in individuals with Down syndrome.
References
2. Coppedè F. The genetics of folate metabolism and maternal risk of birth of a child with Down syndrome and associated congenital heart defects. Frontiers in genetics. 2015;6:223.
3. Galli M, Lewis JE, Goldup SM. A Stimuli‐Responsive Rotaxane–Gold Catalyst: Regulation of Activity and Diastereoselectivity. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2015;54(46):13545-9.
4. Lin J-D, Lin L-P, Hsu S-W, Chen W-X, Lin F-G, Wu J-L, et al. Are early onset aging conditions correlated to daily activity functions in youth and adults with Down syndrome? Research in developmental disabilities. 2015;36:532-6.
5. Van der Fels IM, Te Wierike SC, Hartman E, Elferink-Gemser MT, Smith J, Visscher C. The relationship between motor skills and cognitive skills in 4–16 year old typically developing children: A systematic review. Journal of science and medicine in sport. 2015;18(6):697-703.
6. Bertapelli F, Pitetti K, Agiovlasitis S, Guerra-Junior G. Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents with Down syndrome—prevalence, determinants, consequences, and interventions: A literature review. Research in developmental disabilities. 2016;57:181-92.
7. Hauck J, Jeong I, Esposito P, MacDonald M, Hornyak J, Argento A, et al. BENEFITS OF LEARNING TO RIDE A TWO-WHEELED BICYCLE FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. Palaestra. 2017;31(2).
8. Beqaj S, Tërshnjaku EE, Qorolli M, Zivkovic V. Contribution of physical and motor characteristics to functional performance in children and adolescents with Down Syndrome: a preliminary study. Medical science monitor basic research. 2018;24:159.
9. Hamer M, O'Donovan G, Stamatakis E. Lifestyle risk factors, obesity and infectious disease mortality in the general population: Linkage study of 97,844 adults from England and Scotland. Preventive medicine. 2019;123:65-70.
10. Pierce M, Ramsey K, Pinter J. Trends in obesity and overweight in oregon children with Down syndrome. Global pediatric health. 2019;6:2333794X19835640.
11. Yamauchi Y, Aoki S, Koike J, Hanzawa N, Hashimoto K. Motor and cognitive development of children with Down syndrome: The effect of acquisition of walking skills on their cognitive and language abilities. Brain and Development. 2019;41(4):320-6.
12. Martínez-Espinosa RM, Molina Vila MD, Reig Garcia-Galbis M. Evidences from clinical trials in down syndrome: Diet, exercise and body composition. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020;17(12):4294.
13. Ropper AH, Bull M. Down syndrome. NEJM. 2020;382(24):2344-52.
14. Zhang L, Zhu X, Haegele JA, Wang D, Wu X. Effects of a one-year physical activity intervention on fundamental movement skills of boys with severe intellectual disabilities. Research in developmental disabilities. 2021;114:103980.
15. Alesi M, Giustino V, Gentile A, Gómez-López M, Battaglia G. Motor Coordination and global development in subjects with Down Syndrome: The influence of physical activity. Journal of clinical medicine. 2022;11(17):5031.
16. Vandoni M, Giuriato M, Pirazzi A, Zanelli S, Gaboardi F, Carnevale Pellino V, et al. Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Pediatric Patients with Down Syndrome: A Challenge for Tailoring Physical Activity Interventions. Pediatric Reports. 2023;15(4):691-706.
17. Arslan FN, Dogan DG, Canaloglu SK, Baysal SG, Buyukavci R, Buyukavci MA. Effects of early physical therapy on motor development in children with Down syndrome. Northern Clinics of İstanbul. 2022;9(2).
18. Comeras-Chueca C, Villalba-Heredia L, Perez-Lasierra JL, Marín-Puyalto J, Lozano-Berges G, Matute-Llorente Á, et al. Active video games improve muscular fitness and motor skills in children with overweight or obesity. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(5):2642.
19. Tahir M, Tehzeeb K, Javaid F, Khan UA, Ayyaz A, Usama M. EFFECTS OF ROUTINE PHYSICAL THERAPY WITH AND WITHOUT HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON BALANCE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTION IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE PATIENTS. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology. 2023;30(19):483-90.
20. Elshafey MA, Alsakhawi RS. Inspiratory muscle training and physical fitness in children with down syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2022;103(12):2279-87.
21. Tahir M, Maqsood M, Azhar N, Safdar Z, Amin U, Waheed TS. Association of Knee Pain in Long Standing and Sitting among University Teachers: Association of Knee Pain in University Teachers. The Healer Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. 2023;3(1):314-21.
22. Tahir M, Tariq F, Saeed HW, Nauman M, Usman M, Ali S. Impact of Air Pollution on Respiratory Health of Traffic Wardens in Lahore: Air Pollution and Respiratory Health. The Healer Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. 2023;3(7):703-9.
23. Post EM, Kraemer WJ, Kackley ML, Caldwell LK, Volek JS, Sanchez BN, et al. The Effects of Resistance Training on Physical Fitness and Neuromotor-Cognitive Functions in Adults With Down Syndrome. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. 2022;3:927629.
24. Raghupathy MK, Divya M, Karthikbabu S. Effects of traditional Indian dance on motor skills and balance in children with Down syndrome. Journal of Motor Behavior. 2022;54(2):212-21.
25. Reffat S, Abdelazeim F. Evidence based physical therapy modalities on motor proficiency in children with Down syndrome: Meta-analysis of Systematic Reviews. 2022.
26. Sousa GRd, Almeida EWd, Castilha FA, Greguol M. Association of aerobic fitness and body composition in people with down syndrome. Journal of Physical Education. 2022;33.
27. Izquierdo-Gómez R, Esteban-Cornejo I, Cabanas-Sánchez V, Marcos A, Gómez-Martínez S, Castro-Piñero J, et al. Are obesity and physical fitness associated with cardiovascular disease risk in adolescents with Down syndrome? The longitudinal UP&DOWN study. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability. 2023:1-13.
28. Safdar Z, Asghar M, Tahir M. Level of Quality of Life among Post Stroke Patients; A Cross Sectional Survey. Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Research. 2023;3(2):299-304.
29. Mann S, Spiric J, Mitchell C, Hilgenkamp TIM. Development of a Physical Therapy-Based Exercise Program for Adults with Down Syndrome. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2023;20(4):3667.
30. Rodrigues LP, Cordovil R, Luz CJ, Silva B, Lopes VP. Relationship between motor competence, weight status, and cardiorespiratory fitness from 7 to 16 years of age. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 2023:S23-S4.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Mahnoor
Riphah International University, Lahore – Pakistan
Sadaf Tubassam
Senior Physiotherapist, Rising Sun Institute for Special Children DHA, Lahore – Pakistan,
Fareeha Kousar
Senior Lecturer, Riphah International University, Lahore – Pakistan
Aadil Omer
Islamabad College of Physiotherapy, Margalla Institute of Health Sciences, Rawalpindi – Pakistan,
Maria Arif
National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad - Pakistan,
Muhammad Tahir
Physical Therapist, Link Medical Institute, Lahore - Pakistan