The effects of a SPARK program on oxidative stress in children with intellectual disability

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a curriculum known as Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) on oxidative stress in children with intellectual disability. Material & Methods: Twenty boy students with mild (educable) intellectual disability aged 7 to 9 years were selected and randomly divided into experimental (N=10) and control groups (N=10). The experimental group performed a selected SPARK program for 12 weeks (3 sessions per week, 45 minutes each) while the control group was exempted to participate in the program. Oxidative stress determined by malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured before and after the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA was applied to analyze the data (α = 0.05). Results: Analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between two groups in the measured variable in pretest. However, in posttest, the experimental group had significantly lower MDA level as compared to the control group. Conclusion: According to the results, it can be argued that the selected SPARK program decreases MDA level in children with mild intellectual disability.