Impact of systematic physical exercise on body mass index and waist-hip ratio in people with Down syndrome; [Impacto de la ejercitación física sistemática en el índice de masa corporal y razón cintura – cadera, de personas con síndrome de Down]

Abstract

This article is derived from the thesis “Influence of sports training on somatotype, adiposity distribution, body mass index and waist - hip ratio of people with Down syndrome”, aimed to determine the impact of systematic physical exercise on body mass index and waist - hip ratio of people with Down syndrome; It was a non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive-comparative, cross-sectional and causal correlational study; with a sample of 193 subjects with Down syndrome, aged between 12 and 36 years; classifying them according to their gender and weekly hours dedicated to motor exercise. It was found that as the hours of weekly training increase, the body mass index decreases and, as for the waist - hip ratio, no significant differences were evidenced. In conclusion, it can be affirmed that the systematized practice of motor exercise can modify the body mass index of people with Down syndrome, favouring the decrease of fat tissue, but not their waist - hip ratio. The study shows that physical exercise can be considered as a relevant factor in the prevention of risk of diseases associated to overweight and obesity factors in this population. © Copyright: Federación Española de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educación Física (FEADEF).