Attitudinal and psychosocial outcomes of a fitness and health education program on adults with down syndrome.
Attitudinal and psychosocial outcomes of a fitness and health education program for adults with Down syndrome were examined. Participants were 53 adults with Down syndrome ages 30 years and older (29 females, 24 males, M age = 39.72 years) who were randomized into a training (n = 32) or control group (n = 21). The training group participated in a 12-week, 3 days per week, exercise and health education program. Outcome measures included attitudes towards exercise (cognitive-emotional barriers, outcomes expectations, and performance self-efficacy) and psychosocial well-being (community integration, depression, and life satisfaction). Compared to controls, the training group showed significant changes in attitudes towards exercise, including increased exercise self-efficacy, more positive expected outcomes, fewer cognitive-emotional barriers, improved life satisfaction, and marginally lower depression.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging wuth Developmental Disabilities, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60608-6904, USA. theller@uic.edu
Tamar
T
Heller
Kelly
K
Hsieh
James H
JH
Rimmer
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D004314:Down Syndrome; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011584:Psychology