Influence of skeletal maturation on physical fitness of young people with Down syndrome

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) tend to prematurely reach the skeletal maturation period. In addition, young people with this condition have poor physical fitness and few opportunities to practice physical activity when compared to those without disabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the skeletal maturation of young people with Down syndrome and its influence on the behavior of physical fitness related to health, after aerobic and resistance training programs. Forty people with DS, with an average age of 15.4 (± 2.6) years, were divided into three groups for a 12 weeks intervention program, AT - aerobic training group (3 times/week; 50 minutes/session), RT - resistance training group (twice/week ; 50 minutes/session) and CG - control group, 9 participants. Determination of skeletal age (EA) was performed using the Greulich-Pyle method. Anthropometric variables, muscle strength and peak VO2 were measured pre and post intervention. It was found that skeletal maturation influenced the effects of training, only being significant for body weight and strength in the upright row variables. In addition, the muscle strength of upper and lower limbs increased significantly after 12 weeks of aerobic or resistance training. Then, we can conclude that the effects of physical training on physical fitness of young people with Down syndrome appear to improve as the bone age increases.