A Study of Blood Pressure and Physical Fitness in People with Intellectual Disabilities in South Korea.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities have a shorter lifespan and significantly higher prevalence of conditions such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases than healthy individuals. Thus, assessing the elements that contribute to their physical fitness is crucial. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the blood pressure and physical fitness of people with intellectual disabilities in South Korea, considering differences across sexes, age groups, physical attributes, and disability levels. It used data from 8502 individuals with intellectual disabilities aged 20-59 years who participated in a survey of a National Fitness Standard Center (NFSC) between 2018 and 2021. A series of t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, and the four-quartile method were used for data analyses. The results showed differences in physical fitness levels between men and women considering all aspects except for BMI (Body Mass Index), with men showing higher blood pressure levels. Lower grip strength, lower PEI (physical efficiency index) scores, and higher BMI were associated with increased blood pressure. Additionally, individuals with higher levels of disability tended to have lower levels of physical fitness, while higher physical fitness levels were associated with lower blood pressure. Therefore, low fitness levels and hypertension risk may be important health indicators for people with intellectual disabilities.

The relationship between blood pressure and functional fitness of older adults in Korea.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (BP), is a critical health issue that can cause cardiovascular disease. It is observed more frequently in older adults. Thus, this study aimed to identify the functional fitness and body composition factors that significantly influence both systolic and diastolic BPs in older adults. Data from 155,266 older adults (51,751 men [33.3%] and 103,505 women [66.7%]) who underwent functional fitness tests between 2013 and 2018 were analyzed. The following seven functional fitness tests were conducted: (a) aerobic endurance (2-min step), (b) upper body muscle strength (hand grip strength), (c) lower body muscle endurance (chair sit-and-stand), (d) flexibility (sit-and-reach), (e) agility (Timed Up and Go), and (f) body composition (body mass index [BMI] and body fat percentage). Systolic and diastolic BPs were used as outcome variables. In examining the proposed relationships, the regression analysis revealed that BMI, body fat percentage, sit-and-reach, 2-min step, hand grip, chair sit-and-stand, and Timed Up and Go were significantly associated with reduced systolic and diastolic body pressures.

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Smart Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Exercise Device.

User-friendly rehabilitation medical devices can enhance health and the quality of life through the convergence of information communication and medical technology. Muscle contraction enables bodily movement, and the assessment of muscle strength is crucial. Muscle contraction includes isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic types. Many individuals with physical disabilities rely on wheelchairs due to lower-limb paralysis. There is a substantial correlation between the level of upper-limb functional recovery and the quality of daily life. This study aimed to design and evaluate a device that utilizes various muscle contractions to enhance the effectiveness of upper-limb rehabilitation exercises. The results from the isometric performance assessment showed percentage error rates of >30% for 5-30 kg. Correction equations were employed, and the isometric performance assessment resulted in error rates below 2.1% for 5-30 kg. Isokinetic performance assessment using video analysis evaluated a consistent wire speed from 10 cm/s to 70 cm/s with an average error rate of 0.91% across all speeds. This study demonstrates the ability to accurately measure various muscle contractions and showcases the potential for real-time feedback. This highlights how such a device could be helpful for target groups, including older adults and individuals with disabilities, during upper-limb rehabilitation exercises.

Health-related physical fitness and blood pressure in people with intellectual disabilities in Korea.

Hypertension is one critical health issue causing cardiovascular diseases. There has been a common concern among health researchers that the prevalence of hypertension, known as high blood pressure, has been more frequently observed among people with intellectual disabilities, compared to the general population. Thus, this study aims to identify which health-related physical fitness and body composition factors are significantly related to both systolic and diastolic blood pressures among people with intellectual disabilities. The data from 2180 people with intellectual disability who conducted the physical fitness tests from 2019 to 2020 were used for this study. Four physical fitness tests (i.e., 3-min step, grip strength, sit-up, and sit and reach) and two body compositions (i.e., body mass index and body fat %) used as predictors, and two blood pressures (i.e., systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure) were used as outcome variables. A regression analysis was performed to examine the proposed associations. The regression test revealed that 3-min step, body mass index, and body fat % were significantly associated with both systolic blood pressure and diastolic body pressure. This research contributes to our understanding of the roles of body compositions and aerobic endurance in preventing hypertension among people with intellectual disability.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Physical Fitness and Risk of Hypertension in Korean Adults Aged 20-59.

Intervention for hypertension in young age groups is very important. Adults in their 30s and 40s in Korea are the main producers of economic activity. Stress in work life, frequent drinking and smoking, an unhealthy diet, and a lack of physical activity are the biggest factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure. This study analyzed obesity-related body composition, physical fitness, and risk according to age and sex by analyzing population-based hypertension and physical fitness trends in individuals aged 20-59 years in 360,321 Korean adults via National Physical Award Project (NFAP) data points collected from 2012 to 2019. The functional fitness test battery for adults was composed of seven components: (a) aerobic endurance (2-min step), (b) upper body muscle strength (hand grip strength), (c) lower body muscle endurance (sit-ups), (d) flexibility (sit and reach), (e) cardiopulmonary endurance (progressive aerobic capacity endurance run), (f) body compositions (body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC]), and (g) blood pressure. For all items, there was a significant difference in blood pressure according to people's physical fitness levels. Specifically, for obesity-related BMI and WC, the higher the obesity, the higher the blood pressure (post hoc, obesity > overweight > normal > underweight). It was also confirmed that the lower the grade, that is, the weaker the grip, the higher the blood pressure (post hoc, 4 > 3 > 2 > 1). Subsequently, in identifying the risk factors for high blood pressure, the physical fitness level (Model 1) and obesity-related indicator (Model 2) differed by 1.024 and 1.335 times, respectively. Finally, it was confirmed that the risk of high blood pressure in the age and gender model (Model 3) increased by 1.388 times. In addition to the recommendation for changes in blood pressure, significant differences in blood pressure according to physical fitness and significant effects on blood pressure risk in terms of age, obesity-related body composition, and physical fitness were confirmed.

Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Exercise in Improving Physical Function of Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review.

Rehabilitation is a crucial part of recovery for stroke survivors, and numerous studies have examined various exercises and treatments of stroke. In addition, it is very important for patients to choose the timing of rehabilitation and what kind of rehabilitation they will proceed with. The purpose of the current study is to examine research investigating the effects of rehabilitation exercise programs in recovery of physical function in patients with stroke, based on aspects of their physical function, physical strength, and daily activities, and systematically examine their effects. Therefore, through systematic review, we have investigated the effects of interventions in rehabilitation exercise programs for recovery of physical function in patients with stroke. We collected relevant publications through the databases MEDLINE/PubMed and Google scholar. Twenty-one articles were ultimately selected for the analysis. We classified the rehabilitation programs and identified the trends of treatment for stroke survivors. Our review indicated that task-oriented therapy is still dominant, but various types of combined rehabilitations have been attempted. In addition, it was identified that physical and active rehabilitation were required rather than unconditional rest, even at an early stage. Home-based treatment was used for rapid recovery and adaptation to daily life during the mid-term period.

Investigating functional fitness of older adults in Korea in the period 2013-2018.

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to examine differences in the body compositions and the functional fitness tests across genders, age groups, and the test periods; and (b) to develop the functional fitness standards for older Korean adults. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Korea Institute of Sport Science Fitness Standards. The data were derived from 155,256 old adults aged 65-90 who participated in the National Fitness Award Project from 2013 to 2018 in Korea. A series of t-test, ANOVA, and Cajori's 5-grade method were used to analyze the data. The group comparison tests revealed significant differences in the body compositions and the fitness tests across genders (p < 0.001 for all items), five age groups (p < 0.001 for all items), and two test periods (p < 0.001 for all items, except for sit-reach [p = 0.138] in males and body mass index [p = 0.258] and grip strength [p = 0.130] in females). The study also proposed the guidelines for the functional fitness standards for this population. This study would provide useful information to practitioners to design more effective physical activity programs or interventions for people at-risk of declining health, thus improving health conditions of the older adults in Korea.

Quality of life and health-promoting lifestyles for parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a health-promoting lifestyle and quality of life in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants were 254 South Korean parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We assessed participants using a quality of life scale and the Korean version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). The data were analysed using Pearson and Spearman rank correlation analysis, and linear regression was conducted using SPSS ver. 25.0. The results indicated statistically significant associations between health-promoting lifestyles and quality of life in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Analysis showed that the HPLP-II subfactors of spiritual growth, health responsibility, exercise, nutrition, interpersonal relations, and stress management could significantly predict quality of life in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Healthcare providers should help to improve the quality of life of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities by facilitating health-promoting lifestyle behaviours through interventions designed to increase physical activity, nutrition, stress management, interpersonal relations, health responsibility, and spiritual growth.

Analysis and Evaluation of Nutritional Intake and Nutrition Quotient of Korean Athletes with Disabilities in the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

This study analyzed and evaluated the nutritional intake and nutrition quotient for adults (NQ-A) among 21 disabled national athletes preparing for the Tokyo Paralympic competition. A 24-h recall nutrition survey was conducted on the second day of training and one day of the weekend (holidays) to analyze daily nutritional intake. Dietary information was analyzed using the NQ-A questionnaire, which comprises 21 items. The athletes were divided into three groups based on the NQ-A score (High, Middle, Low). A comparative analysis of dietary intake of disabled athletes with the recommended dietary intake amount (RDA) was performed. The intake of carbohydrates (166.9%), proteins (112.3%), vitamin E (112.0%), thiamine (124.6%), riboflavin (100.2%), vitamin B6 (110.6%), vitamin B12 (120.7%), sodium (216.6%), phosphorus (118.3%), iron (146.5%), iodine (143.2%), and selenium (114.2%) was higher than the Korean-recommended amount. In particular, as the results of comparing dietary intake between the three groups showed, the low NQ-A score group had significantly lower intake compared to the %RDA for vitamin E (67.1%), C (26.3%), and Potassium (42.8%). However, with most nutrients, nutritional intake deficiency was not shown to be a problem.

Correlation of physical fitness with psychological well-being, stress, and depression in Korean adults.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical fitness and psychological well-being, stress, and depression in Korean adults. Participants were 160 adults aged 40-70 years living in the metropolitan area of Incheon. Results were collected from random sample of main measurements from Incheon fitness center of National Fitness Award Project (2019). We assessed participants using physical fitness test (national fitness award), Psychosocial well-being index short form, Perceived Stress Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale. The data were analyzed Pearson and Spearman rank correlation analysis, and linear was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 25.0. The re-sults indicated there were statistically significant associations between psychological well-being and agility, quick response; stress and flexibil-ity; depression and strength endurance strength, body fat. In addition, analysis showed that strength, endurance strength, body fat of physical fitness factors could significantly predict depression, flexibility could significantly predict stress, agility and quick response could significant-ly predict psychological well-being.

Study of the relationships between the health condition, caring in terms of health practice behavior on quality of life of parents of children with developmental disabilities.

This study aimed to determine the relationships between the quality of life, health condition, and caring in terms of health practice behaviors of parents of children with developmental disabilities. Two hundred forty-three parents of children with developmental disabilities participated. We examined the quality of life; the health practice behavior questionnaire comprised details of health condition, caring behavior, and diet, and it used a 10-point scale for scoring. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance; linear regression was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 23.0. The results indicated that there were associations between quality of life, relations with family members, relations with neighbors, living standards, physical condition, and function among the subfactors. There were significant differences between exercise practice behavior, quality of life, relations with family, relations with neighbors, living standards, physical condition and functioning, emotional state, and self-esteem among subfactors. It was found that there were significant differences between diet behavior and quality of life, and physical condition and function, emotional state in sub factor of quality of life. Based on the results of this study, if a health promotion behavior program is developed and applied systematically, it will contribute to improving the quality of life for parents' children with developmental disabilities.

Motor proficiency differences among students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and developmental disability.

There is considerable overlap in the manifestations of intellectual disability, autism, and developmental disability. We aimed to determine whether students with such disabilities have differences in their motor proficiency. We compared the motor proficiency of 82 students (age, 11 to 20 years) with different severities of intellectual disability (borderline, 11 students; mild, 27 students; moderate, 19 students), developmental disability (15 students), or autism (10 students). The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second edition was used to assess motor skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and analysis of variance. Compared to students with borderline intellectual disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, or autism, those with moderate intellectual disabilities scored significantly lower on al-most all items regarding motor skill on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The results of this study provide key information for developing exercise programs to improve the motor proficiency and quality of life of children with various developmental disorders.

Relationship between sitting volleyball performance and field fitness of sitting volleyball players in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sitting volleyball performance and the field fitness of sitting volleyball players. Forty-five elite sitting volleyball players participated in 10 field fitness tests. Additionally, the players' head coach and coach assessed their volleyball performance (receive and defense, block, attack, and serve). Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 21 by using correlation and regression analyses, and the significance level was set at P< 0.05. The results showed that chest pass, overhand throw, one-hand throw, one-hand side throw, splint, speed endurance, reaction time, and graded exercise test results had a statistically significant influence on the players' abilities to attack, serve, and block. Grip strength, t-test, speed, and agility showed a statistically significant relationship with the players' skill at defense and receive. Our results showed that chest pass, overhand throw, one-hand throw, one-hand side throw, speed endurance, reaction time, and graded exercise test results had a statistically significant influence on volleyball performance.

The relationship between the behavior problems and motor skills of students with intellectual disability.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the motor skills and the behavior problems of students with intellectual disabilities. The study participants were 117 students with intellectual disabilities who were between 7 and 25 years old (male, n=79; female, n=38) and attending special education schools in South Korea. Motor skill abilities were assessed by using the second version of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency, which includes subtests in fine motor control, manual coordination, body coordination, strength, and agility. Data were analyzed with SPSS IBM 21 by using correlation and regression analyses, and the significance level was set at P<0.05. The results showed that fine motor precision and integration had a statistically significant influence on aggressive behavior. Manual dexterity showed a statistically significant influence on somatic complaint and anxiety/depression, and bilateral coordination had a statistically significant influence on social problems, attention problem, and aggressive behavior. Our results showed that balance had a statistically significant influence on social problems and aggressive behavior, and speed and agility had a statistically significant influence on social problems and aggressive behavior. Upper limb coordination and strength had a statistically significant influence on social problems.