Scheduled for Research Consortium Special Populations Poster Session, Friday, April 28, 2006, 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Physical Activity Among Youth With Visual Impairment

Kerstin Kindinger and Joonkoo Yun, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Maintaining an appropriate physical activity level is associated with health-related benefits and well-being, especially for individuals with disabilities. It is widely believed that individuals with visual impairment do have similar physiological conditions as students without impairment and need approximately the same amount of physical activity to maintain physical well-being. However, the status of physical activity in students with a visual impairment has not been currently well documented. Therefore, the purpose of this study was the examination of the average school physical activity level and percentage of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for students with visual impairment. Participants were 15 youth (10 male and 5 female) between the ages of 11 to 18 years who have a visual impairment without additional physical disability. An accelerometer, Actiwatch®, was used to measure level of physical activity and percentage of time spends in MVPA. The level of physical activity was measured as the average movement counts per assessed days. The duration of MVPA was calculated based upon a previously determined cut-point to distinguish between sedentary-to-light physical activity and MVPA. Participants' physical activity was assessed for seven consecutive days. The results of the repeated measure ANOVAs indicated that there were statistical differences within the school settings for the level of physical activity, F (1,13) = 29.13, p < .01, and for the duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, F (1,13) = 33.53, p < .01. The highest amount of physical activity was found during physical education followed by recess and the regular classroom. This finding supports the importance of physical education.
Keyword(s): adapted physical activity, physical activity, research

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