Effects of Aerobic Dance on the Cardiovascular Endurance of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose was to determine the effects of a 12-week, 3-days/week low-impact aerobic dance program on the cardiovascular endurance (CVE) of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). The experimental group (8 males, 7 females) were adults (M age = 39) receiving employment training at a sheltered workshop. The control group (7 males, 5 females) were adults (M age = 37) affiliated with the same facility but employed offsite. Rockport Fitness Walking Test (RFWT) data were collected five times (pretest, and at 4, 8, 12, and 18 weeks). Repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group on RFWT heart rates on the 8- and 12- week trials and on RFWT walk times at the posttest. Once the 12-week program was over, participants did not exercise. Follow-up measurements at 18 weeks revealed no significant differences between groups.