August 2019

A group of Dutch scientists conducted a study to find the link between sports participation and health-related fitness and physical activity in 163 young people with a chronic illness or physical disability. 81 of them participated in organized sports and 82 did not. Aerobic and anaerobic fitness, agility and muscle strength were assessed in the laboratory, while physical activity in daily life was monitored with an accelerometer for 1 week. Linear regression analyzes were used to assess the associations of sport participation (independent variable) with health-related physical and fitness activity (dependent variables). The results show that young people with a chronic illness or physical disability who participate in organized sports twice a week performed better on all outcome measurements. Compared to peers who did not participate in sports, they achieved a higher peak intake of oxygen. Anaerobic fitness, agility, muscle strength and physical activity were all positively associated with sports participation.

J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Mar 13. doi: 10.1519 / JSC.0000000000003098.