STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1526826
This article is part of the Research TopicAging: Challenges and Opportunities for Inclusion and Active ParticipationView all 4 articles
Perceptual-Vision Training as a Strategy for Healthy Ageing in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Study Protocol
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- 2Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus (IRCCS), Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 3Department for Teacher Education, NLA University College, Oslo, Norway
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Aging leads to changes in motor-cognitive performance. Despite the importance of physical activity for healthy aging and the need for health promotion interventions in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), there is a lack of empirically strategies for promoting health in adults with ID. Therefore, we are conducting a clinical trial (NCT06628999 on clinicaltrials.gov) to investigate a strategy for promoting healthy aging by targeting physical and cognitive domains in ID individuals. The present work aims to provide a detailed account of the study protocol of the proposed trial to promote transparency and dissemination of the ongoing research. Specifically, this project will study the effect of a vision training program on cognitive performance and physical fitness in adults with ID. A secondary aim is to examine the association between mental and physical performance outcomes. Participants will be randomly allocated into a vision training group (VT, n = 28), a vision training-detraining group (VTD, n = 28), and a control group (C, n = 28). During the first 8 weeks, the VT and VTD groups will follow the same training protocol (based on vision oculomotor exercises combined with postural control exercises). From weeks 9 to 16, the VT group will continue the training protocol, whereas the VTD group will abstain from training (detraining). Cognitive performance and physical fitness will be assessed at baseline, mid- and post-training intervention. Overall, a vision training program can positively impact various aspects of life for individuals with ID promoting autonomy, and social integration to counteract the aging process.
Keywords: Down Syndrome, cognitive performance, intellectual impairment, visual training, physical activity
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cavaggioni, Formenti, Castiglioni, Ardigò and Merati. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Luca Cavaggioni, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
Luca Paolo Ardigò, Department for Teacher Education, NLA University College, Oslo, 0130, Norway
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