Aerobic exercise effect on individuals with physical disabilities.

Abstract

The effects of aerobic exercise on the fitness level of adults with physical disabilities were examined in this research. Twenty-one individuals participated in a pretest-posttest research design that compared the effects of an aerobic exercise program upon experimental and control subjects, specifically, on body weight, resting, and exercise cardiorespiratory and metabolic parameters, and physical work capacity. Results indicate that aerobic exercise significantly improved physical work capacity by 23.1% and cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by maximal pulmonary ventilation and maximal oxygen consumption by 16.1% and 23.7% respectively, for the experimental group. In contrast, the control group demonstrated declines in these variables of 10.3%, 8%, and 17.1%, respectively. Findings from this research highlight the importance of exercise in promoting fitness and preventing secondary disabilities in adults with physical disabilities.