Association between levels of physical activity, body composition and motor proficiency in adolescents with intellectual disability

Abstract

Youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) have lower levels of physical activity (PA), higher prevalence of overweight and less motor proficiency than the general population of youth without ID. Lower levels of PA are associated with overweight and motor proficiency disorders in adolescents without ID. However, the evidences supporting the association between levels of PA, body composition and motor proficiency in adolescents with ID are limited. The primary objective of this study is to examine the association between levels of PA, body composition, and motor proficiency in youth with ID. The sample will consist of 50 girls and boys aged 15-21 years with ID in Campinas City - State of São Paulo. The PA levels will be measured with an Actigraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Motor proficiency will be measured by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test (BOT-2) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). Body composition (% body fat, total fat mass and lean mass) will be estimated by DXA. Multilevel regression model will be used to examine the association between body composition and motor proficiency in adolescents with ID. It is expected that this study provide evidences to help prevention policies and combat the physical inactivity, obesity, and motor insufficiency in youth with ID. (AU)