Health benefits of inclusive badminton program on young adults with intellectual impairments: a pilot study

Chih-Chia (JJ) Chen; Alana Turner; Raegan Adams; Elizabeth Bassie; Ling-Yi Lin; Andrea Gutierrez-Suarez

doi:10.1007/s11332-025-01637-x

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Health benefits of inclusive badminton program on young adults with intellectual impairments: a pilot study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Health benefits of inclusive badminton program on young adults with intellectual impairments: a pilot study

Chih-Chia (JJ) Chen, Alana Turner, Raegan Adams, Elizabeth Bassie, Ling-Yi Lin and Andrea Gutierrez-Suarez

Sport sciences for health, Vol.22(1), p.59

03/01/2026

DOI: 10.1007/s11332-025-01637-x

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of an adapted badminton program on the health and well-being of young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) using a quasi-experimental pre-post design. Eight adults with ID participated, including four in the badminton group (3 males, 1 female; 23.00 +/- 2.45 years) and four in the control group (2 males, 2 females; 21.50 +/- 3.11 years). The badminton group partnered with typically developing peers and attended 50-min sessions twice a week for 15 weeks, learning basic badminton skills along with key rules and strategies for double play. Physical well-being was assessed via body mass index, handgrip strength, 30-s chair stand (30CST), and 6-min walk test (6MWT); social well-being was measured by feelings of loneliness; and mental well-being was assessed using forward digit span and knock-tap tests. Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results indicated a significant improvement in lower body muscular endurance, as evidenced by the 30CST in the badminton group compared to controls (p = 0.03). Although not statistically significant, the badminton group demonstrated greater gains in handgrip strength and fewer decreases in 6MWT than the control group. No significant changes were observed in feelings of loneliness or executive function. The limited exercise intensity and the cognitive demands of skill acquisition may explain these findings. These preliminary results suggest that adapted badminton may enhance physical well-being in young adults with ID, and future research with larger samples and follow-up assessments is warranted to explore broader health and cognitive benefits.

Developmental Disabilities

Adapted physical activity

Badminton

Inclusion

Health and well-being

UIOWA OA Agreement

Details

Title: Subtitle: Health benefits of inclusive badminton program on young adults with intellectual impairments: a pilot study
Creators: Chih-Chia (JJ) Chen - University of Iowa, Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
Alana Turner - Coastal Carolina University
Raegan Adams - Mississippi State University
Elizabeth Bassie - Mississippi State University
Ling-Yi Lin - Natl Cheng Kung Univ, Dept Occupat Therapy, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Andrea Gutierrez-Suarez - Universidade da Coruña
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Sport sciences for health, Vol.22(1), p.59
DOI: 10.1007/s11332-025-01637-x
ISSN: 1824-7490
eISSN: 1825-1234
Publisher: Springer Nature
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: Badminton World Federation
Language: English
Date published: 03/01/2026
Academic Unit: Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
Record Identifier: 9985160642102771

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