Evaluation of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities.


METHODS
Twenty-eight children with neuromuscular and developmental disabilities, 6 to 14 years of age, participated. The 16-week community-based program, held twice weekly, consisted of strengthening, aerobic conditioning, and flexibility exercises. A pretest-posttest design was used, and the following outcomes were measured: isometric muscle strength of the knee extensors, hip abductors, and ankle plantarflexors, walking energy expenditure, functional mobility, and fitness. Falls and injury data also were collected.


RESULTS
Mean program attendance was 75.3%, and no injuries were reported. Improvements in all clinical outcomes were observed. The most clinically meaningful improvement was in functional mobility with a large effect size (0.87).


CONCLUSIONS
Physical therapists partnering with community centers may feasibly and safely shift group fitness programs for school-aged children with disabilities from the medical setting to the community.
Fragala-Pinkham
Maria A
MA
Research Center for Children With Special Needs, Franciscan Hospital for Children, Brighton, Massachusetts, USA.
Haley
Stephen M
SM
Goodgold
Shelley
S
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016896:Treatment Outcome