Effects of rope skipping exercise on physical, cardiovascular fitness and exercise tolerance in adolescent students with moderate intellectual disability.
Eight weeks of progressive rope skipping three times a week improves fitness and lowers blood pressure in high-schoolers with moderate ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lin et al. (2023) tested rope skipping with 40 high-schoolers who have moderate intellectual disability.
Half skipped rope three times a week for 50 minutes. The other half kept normal PE class.
After eight weeks the team measured fitness, blood pressure, and resting heart rate.
What they found
The rope group got stronger, faster, and lowered their blood pressure and resting heart rate.
No changes showed up in the control group. The gains were large enough to matter for health.
How this fits with other research
Mikolajczyk et al. (2015) and Moya et al. (2022) also ran eight-week exercise plans for teens and adults with ID. All three studies saw big fitness jumps, so the time frame looks solid.
May et al. (2020) used a lottery ticket reward to keep adults with DD in the high-intensity zone. Y-Y skipped rewards yet still hit cardio goals, showing the activity itself can be motivating.
Lee et al. (2022) found parent activity level predicts teen MVPA. Y-Y did not measure parents, so future skipping programs might add a parent piece.
Why it matters
You can add a simple jump-rope station to your PE or clinic warm-up. Three short bouts a week can boost heart health and endurance without extra staff or gear. Track jumps or time, raise the goal each week, and watch fitness climb.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) who live a sedentary lifestyle may lead to an increased risk of chronic cardiovascular disease in adulthood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 8-week progressive rope skipping training on physical, cardiovascular fitness and exercise tolerance of high school students with moderate ID. METHODS: Thirty-four senior high school with ID (aged 15-18 years old) were randomised into experimental group received progressive skipping rope exercise (RS, n = 17) and control group no rope skipping exercise intervention group (CON, n = 17). The RS group were received progressive rope skipping exercise for 50 min each time, three times a week, for 8 weeks. The control group was not allowed to participate in intervention activities during the study period. The physical fitness, body composition, arterial stiffness index (ASI) and blood pressure were measured before and after the 8-week intervention. RESULTS: After the 8-week progressive skipping rope exercise intervention, the participants from the RS group increased in the 3-min step test, sit-up test, grip strength and sit and reach test, when compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). The RS group exhibited lower the area under curve of heart rate (HR) during post-exercise recovery (P < 0.05). The participants in the RS group showed significant decreases in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR when compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). Change SBP has moderate positive correlation with change ASI. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this experiment suggest that progressive rope skipping exercise might improve physical fitness and promote cardiovascular health, as well as enhance exercise tolerance for adolescent students with moderate ID.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2023 · doi:10.1111/jir.13071