Aptidão física e coordenação motora em pessoas com síndrome de Down

Abstract

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) is a common chromosomal disorder related to intellectual disability. Individuals with DS have hypotonia and ligamentous laxity, which interfere with the coordination of movements and postural reactions that determine balance and motor activities, causing developmental delay and influencing quality of life. Objective: To analyze the correlation between physical fitness and motor coordination in individuals with DS, characterizing the motor and physical patterns that can explain this relationship. Methodology: The research sample consisted of 42 adults, between 18 and 35 years old, of both sexes, divided into: individuals with DS and the control group (CG), individuals with typical development. Pairing by age (±2 years) and sex was performed between the groups. Participants performed motor coordination tests using the Körperkoordination Test fürKinder (KTK) Body Coordination Test and motor performance tests using the Timed up and Go Test (TUG), a sit-and-stand test that assesses functional capacity to assess physical fitness. Data characterization was performed through descriptive statistical analysis with standard deviation and mean. Normality was tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The study performed a Pearson correlation analysis, a method for measuring continuous variables. For the analysis of raw correlation values, a significance value of p ≤ 0.05 was adopted. Considering the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) at the value r ≥ 0.90. Results: A significant correlation (p = 0.018) was found between the lateral jump task and the sit-and-stand test, moderate correlation (r = 0.44). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed (p = 0.006), but for Pearson's r it is a moderate association (r = 0.52) between the sit-to-stand test and the platform transfer task. Conclusion: The results of this research suggest a correlation between the sit- to-stand test and the KTK tasks of single-leg jumps and platform transfer, but no association was observed in adults with DS.