Effects of Guided Exercise on Functional Performance and Independence in Adults With Intellectual Disability

Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) have significantly lower levels of fitness compared to the general population. The health benefits of enhanced muscular strength in the general population are well established. In adults with ID, increased muscular strength levels are positively associated with improved aerobic capacity and performance of functional tasks. A concerted effort has been made to design and evaluate resistance training (RT) interventions aimed at increasing muscular strength in adults with ID. While the findings are encouraging, the small number of published studies, missing or poorly described theoretical frameworks or familiarization protocols that guided the RT interventions, and compromised methodological quality raise questions about the actual effects of these interventions and warrant further investigation. The primary purpose of this study is to design and pilot test the effects of an innovative community-based multi-component RT program, Resistance Training for Empowerment (RT-POWER). The primary aim of RT-POWER is to improve muscular strength and independent functional performance in adults with ID. The trial is guided by the SCT theoretical framework. Adults with ID will be randomly allocated to either an experimental group (EG) or a control group (CG). The EG will receive the RT-POWER intervention and the CG will receive an RT intervention traditionally used with the general population. Stage 1 will consist of six familiarization sessions (2 per week for 3 weeks) and Stage 2 will consist of 20 RT sessions (2 per week for 10 weeks). Five hypotheses will be tested: (a) The EG will demonstrate significantly greater increases on the chest-press and leg-press one-repetition maximum (1-RM) tests from baseline to Week 15 compared with the CG; (b) The EG will demonstrate significantly greater increases on the plank test from baseline to Week 15 compared with the CG; (c) The EG will demonstrate significantly greater increases on the six-minut