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

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.