Mid Sweden University

Background

Physical activity is essential for preventing noncommunicable diseases and improving health parameters. However, individuals with intellectual disabilities often struggle to meet recommended activity levels. Sustainable solutions and long-term follow-up are crucial for evaluating intervention efficacy.

Methods

This mixed-method longitudinal follow-up study examines the effects and experiences of a 12-week web-based exercise programme on individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Body composition, physical activity levels and waist circumference were measured before and after the 12-week intervention period as well as 12 months after the end of the intervention period (i.e., long-term follow-up). Experiences were analysed using semistructured interviews. In the data analysis, repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was utilised to investigate changes over time.

Results

No significant changes were observed after 12 months, but there were effects on postintervention compared with preintervention on waist circumference. Some participants reported experiencing health benefits, which contributed to motivation, while others lacked motivation and were unaware that they could continue to exercise.

Conclusions

While improvements were noted post-intervention, sustaining these gains proved challenging during long-term follow-up. This study highlights the potential of web-based exercise programmes to support individuals with ID in increasing physical activity levels. However, the findings also underscore the need for more tailored and sustainable interventions, including structured support and ongoing engagement strategies, to enable lasting health behaviour change over time.

Since the 1990s, the field of sports technology and engineering has expanded beyond an initial focus on sports equipment and materials to include various topics. These topics span sustainable equipment design and manufacturing, user‑centred design, biomechanics and human‑equipment interaction, field testing, sensors and instrumentation of sports equipment and clothing, smart textiles, artificial intelligence and big data, and the development of human body surrogates for testing protective equipment. This second edition of Routledge Handbook of Sports Technology and Engineering pulls together the full depth and breadth of this field, explores current issues and controversies, and looks to future research directions. Bringing together many of the world’s leading experts and scientists, this book emphasises the current understanding of the underlying mechanics associated with sport and physical activity, exercise, training, and athletic performance in relation to sports equipment, clothing, and training, and officiating technologies in a broad sense.

This book has five sections:

Sports mechanics 

Sports materials 

Sports equipment design and manufacture 

Sports biomechanics and human‑equipment interaction 

Field testing, sensors, and instrumentation 

Written by an international team of leading experts, the emphasis throughout this book is on bridging the gap between scientific research and application within sports products and their effect on training and competition. This text is important reading for students, scholars, and others with an interest in engineering related to sport, exercise, and health in general.TABLE OF CONTENTSPart I: Sports mechanics. 1. Introduction to sports mechanics. 2. Projectiles in sport. 3. Computational fluid dynamics applied in sport: Part 1 – Capabilities and considerations. 4. Computational fluid dynamics applied in sport: Part 2 – Application in sport. 5. Soft materials in sport. 6. Finite element modelling in sport. 7. Musculoskeletal simulation in sport. Part II: Sports materials. 8. Introduction to sports materials. 9. Cellular solids for sports applications: Part 1 – Macroscopic properties and applications. 10. Cellular solids for sports applications: Part 2 – Micromechanics. 11. Fibre‑reinforced composites for sports applications. 12. Advanced materials for board sports. 13. Textiles for sports clothing. Part III: Sports equipment design and manufacture. 14. Introduction to sports equipment design and manufacture. 15. Design and manufacturing of textile sports equipment. 16. 3D printing in sports. 17. Sustainable design and manufacturing of sports equipment. 18. Cricket gear and sustainability. 19. Design considerations for body padding in rugby. 20. Ergonomics and user‑centered design of sports equipment. 21. The application of biological engineering to sports technology. 22. Design for athletes. Part IV: Sports biomechanics and human‑equipment interaction. 23. Introduction to sports biomechanics and human‑equipment interaction. 24. Biomechanical interactions with footwear. 25. How the golfer and driver interact to determine performance. 26. The quantified tennis athlete: The performer, the ball, the racquet and the technology. 27. Sports injury and trauma biomechanics: Surrogates, human data and modeling. 28. Biomechanics of athletes with impairment and adaptive equipment. Part V: Field testing, sensors and instrumentation for the digital athlete. 29. Introduction to field testing, sensors and instrumentation for the digital athlete. 30. Longitudinal assessment in sport: Injury and performance assessment. 31. Passive sensing in sport. 32. Inertial sensing in sports: Application and technical considerations. 33. Artificial intelligence approaches in sport. 34. Interoperable digital measurement and modelling to optimise tennis racket design: A case study. 35. Big data in sport: Case studies in football and tennis.

ABSTRACT

Background: People with intellectual disability participate in organised sports to a lesser extent than people in general. The aim of this study was to explore the motivation for engaging in sports among athletes using the theoretical framework of senseof belonging.

Method: Semi-structured online interviews were carried out with athletes (N=15, 8/7 women/men, 29.5±9 years) with intellectual disabilities.

Results: The main theme ‘Empower me to grow as an athlete—adapt the support to help me develop my sport skills and social aspects’ showed that motivation, competence, perception, and opportunities were important factors for engaging in sports.Support was an important factor for creating adapted opportunities.

Conclusion: Athletes with intellectual disabilities have motivation, want to feel competent, and to be athletes who belong insports and develop as such. They also appreciate coaches giving adapted support that enhances understanding and promotesinclusion in the sport community

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate how pole length, incline, and skiing intensity affect lower back muscle activation in elite cross-country skiers. This addressing a critical gap in understanding the biomechanical demands and risk of low back pain of double poling (DP). Method: Eleven elite cross-country skiers performed skiing trials on a treadmill, varying in incline (flat vs. 6 degrees), intensity (two self-selected speeds, training speed and racing speed), and pole lengths. Muscle activity was measured by surface electromyography on the erector spinae thoracic and lumbar muscles, on the left and right side. A motion capture system was used for kinematic analysis of the lower back-pole moment arm and the hip angle during the DP cycle. Results: Compared to men, female skiers had a significantly higher (p < 0.001), overall muscle activation for the m. erector spinae lumbar on both the left and right side (26% of MVC vs. 15% of MVC, and 28% of MVC vs. 22% of MVC, for the left and right side, respectively). No correlations were found, neither between muscle activation to the lower back-pole moment arm, or to the hip angle. Conclusion: The findings suggest that female skiers experience significantly higher lumbar erector spinae activation during DP, potentially indicating greater susceptibility to back-related issues. The results also highlight the need to tailor training and right adapted equipment to mitigate lower back stress, especially in flat terrain high-intensity conditions. The asymmetrical muscle activity and gender differences underscores the need for further investigation into biomechanical factors influencing back muscle engagement in cross-country skiing.

Aim

Evidence on physical activity (PA), sedentary time, and fitness in adolescents with impairments has been limited. We aimed to compare outcomes in Swedish adolescents with and without impairments and between impairment types.

Methods

This cross-sectional study, from September to December 2019, comprised of adolescents from 34 mainstream schools within 3 h' drive of Stockholm, Sweden. Parents reported impairment status. PA and sedentary time were measured with accelerometers during school and leisure time on weekdays and weekends. Fitness was estimated using the Ekblom-Bak submaximal cycle test, sports participation was self-reported and multilevel mixed models were used for analyses.

Results

We enrolled 972 adolescents (51% girls), with a mean age of 13.4 ± 0.3 years. Just under a third (31%) had impairments. Adolescents with impairments showed lower PA levels, less adherence to recommendations, lower fitness and less participation in organised sports than those without impairments. Those with learning or visual impairments engaged in less vigorous activity and the former had lower fitness levels.

Conclusion

Adolescents with impairments were less physically active, more sedentary and had lower fitness than peers without impairments. This emphasises the need for equitable opportunities for PA, to support long-term health and well-being in adolescents with impairments.

Fall incidents are a significant health problem for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and physical activity improves balance capacity and can prevent the risk of falling. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® offers health screenings and education to athletes with ID. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore whether Special Olympics athletes have better balance capacity than non-athletes with ID. During the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2020, athletes and non-athletes participated in the Healthy Athletes programme. The results of athletes (n=47) and non-athletes (n=25) for balance tests (i.e. single leg stance, functional reach and timed sit-to stand test) and health markers (i.e. blood pressure and body mass index) were analysed. Athletes showed higher balance capacity, more physical activity at moderate intensity and a lower body mass index and diastolic blood pressure compared to non-athletes. However, the balance capacity of both athletes and non-athletes with ID were low, lower than for people without ID. From this study, Special Olympics athletes showed higher physical activity on moderate intensity and higher balance capacity which can decrease the risk of fall incidents compared to non-athletes.

Background

People with intellectual disabilities are less physically active and suffer from ill-health more than the general population. Support staff play an important role in the person's life. This study aimed to explore the support staff's experiences regarding the feasibility of adapted web-based exercise for people with intellectual disabilities.

Method

Participants with intellectual disabilities living in community-based settings were recruited for a web-based exercise study. Eight semi-structured interviews were carried out with their support staff before and after the intervention period.

Results

The main theme, ‘Support staff are crucial for feasibility’ encompasses the importance of communication, structure, and motivation in improving physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities.

Conclusion

The experiences of support staff, indicate that a web-based exercise program is feasible for the target group, and one way to overcome challenges for PA, where the role of the staff is crucial.

Background: Proprioception is vital for motor control and can be disturbed, for example, due to fatigue or injury. Clinical feasible, reliable and valid tests of shoulder proprioception are warranted. The aim was to investigate the effects of local fatigue on shoulder proprioception and the reliability of a feasible joint position sense test using an experimental repeated measures design. Method: Forty participants repeated a shoulder joint position sense test to assess test–retest reliability. The test was then utilized on a subgroup of handball players who were subjected to five bouts of a repeated throwing task with the dominant hand. The effect of local fatigue was investigated by comparing the fatigued with the non-fatigued shoulder. Results: There was a significant interaction for the arm × bout (p = 0.028, ηp2 = 0.20) and a significant effect for the arm (p = 0.034, ηp2 = 0.35) with a significant decrease in joint position sense for the throwing arm compared to the non-throwing arm. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.78 (95% CI = [0.57; 0.89]). The standard error of measurement between trials was 0.70° (range: 0.57°–0.90°). Discussion: The results indicate that repeated throwing to fatigue disturbs shoulder joint position sense. Assessment with the modified test showed acceptable reliability and can be a valuable assessment tool in the clinic. 

Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are less physically active than individuals without ID, and rarely reach the recommended daily level of physical activity (PA). It is understood that both social interaction and the ability to perform physical work affect participation in daily activity as well as PA. Individuals with ID generally have a higher risk of hypertension and obesity-related cardiovascular diseases than individuals without ID. Professional service providers, teachers and parents are often those being asked about potential challenges related to PA, as it is more seldom that this knowledge comes from the target group (ID) themselves. This identifies a lack of knowledge about PA and sports for individuals with ID. The aim of this study was to identify perceptions of, and motivation for, PA and sports among adolescents with ID. Twelve Swedish male and female adolescents with ID participated in the study, which comprised one semi-structured interview. The interviews identified three main categories: Activity, Surroundings and Body- and health awareness. Adolescents with ID seemed intrinsic motivated to participate in PA, organised sports and activities in general. Support from significant others, teachers, family and friends and support as well as the feeling of joy are connected to normative beliefs which all seem crucial. The participants were aware of their limitations, but sometimes feel bullied and afraid of being excluded, which relates to their normative beliefs. Participation in PA and organised sports may be positively associated with health, but limitations such as lack of awareness and support from society challenge the perception of ‘fitting in’. This research has raised the voice of adolescents with ID and identified the need for increased knowledge of their perceptions for a more inclusive world. School PE is an arena where adolescents can still be reached regarding PA and thereby should be prioritised.