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Background: The main objective of this study was to compare the physical condition of people with intellectual disabilities living in residential homes (RH; restricted residential environment) versus independent homes (IH; family houses while performing paid work). The effect of gender on physical condition was also evaluated separately for each group. Method: Sixty individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disability, 30 living in RH and 30 living in IH, participated in this study. The RH and IH groups were homogeneous in terms of gender distribution (17 males and 13 females) and intellectual disability level. Body composition, postural balance, and static and dynamic force were considered as dependent variables. Results: The IH group performed better in the postural balance and dynamic force tests compared to the RH group, but no significant differences between the groups were observed for any body composition or static force variable. Women in both groups tended to have better postural balance than men, while men presented higher dynamic force. Conclusions: The IH group presented a higher physical fitness compared to RH group. This result emphasises the need to increase the frequency and intensity of the physical activity sessions commonly programed for individuals living in RH.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 14‐week resistance training programme implemented with high levels of effort to improve physical fitness in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) living in group homes. Methods: Fifty‐two individuals with mild to moderate IDs participated in the experimental (n = 27; 15 men) or control groups (n = 25; 14 men). Participants performed 2 familiarisation sessions, 1 pretest, 42 training sessions (14 weeks × 3 sessions; only the experimental group) and 1 posttest. The testing sessions comprised the evaluation of body composition, static balance and muscle strength. The training sessions included four blocks: (1) dynamic bodyweight exercises, (2) dynamic exercises performed against external loads, (3) ballistic exercises and (4) static exercises. Results: The main findings revealed that all variables related to body composition and muscle strength improved more after the intervention period in the experimental group than the control group, whereas the improvements in static balance for the experimental groups were lower than for the remaining variables used as markers of physical fitness. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of prescribing specific moderate‐intensity to high‐intensity resistance training programmes to improve body composition and muscle strength for people with IDs living in group homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]