Profiles of physical fitness among youth with intellectual disabilities: a longitudinal person-centered investigation

Purposes: The main objective of this person-centered study was to identify the main profiles of physical fitness present among a large sample of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, we also investigated associations between several personal and sport-related characteristics and youth’s physical fitness profiles. Methods: Participants were 375 Australian (N = 242) and Canadian (N = 133) youth (60.4% boys) with mild (49.6%) to moderate (50.4%) levels of ID. Results: Latent profile analyses revealed five profiles, which were fully replicated over two time points taken with a one year interval: (1) Average Flexibility with Low Strength, Balance, and Locomotor Capacity (22.7%); (2) Moderately High Flexibility with High Strength, Balance, and Locomotor Capacity (8.2%); (3) Moderately Low Flexibility with Moderately High Strength, Balance, and Locomotor Capacity (30.8%); (4) Average Flexibility with Very low Strength, Balance, and Locomotor Capacity (6.5%); and (5) Normative (31.9%). Profile membership was essentially unchanged over time, with rates of stability ranging from 99 to 100%. Relative to the most physically fit profiles (2 and 3), the less physically fit profiles (1 and 4) and the Normative one included a higher proportion of younger Canadian girls with moderate levels of ID, comorbid conditions, and an unhealthier lifestyle (i.e., higher BMI, and a lower frequency of sport involvement in and out of school). Conclusion: The present results highlight the relevance of targeted fitness interventions strategies focused on youth with ID from the less physically fit profiles.