Purpose: To determine changes and potential differences in physical activity (PA), gross motor proficiency (MP), and health parameters after a 6-month follow-up (FU) period following participation in a parent-led PA intervention in youth with or without Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).
Methods: About 42 youth with PWS and 65 youth without PWS but with obesity (body fat percentage >95th percentile for age and sex), aged 8-16 years, participated. The intervention included preplanned PA sessions containing playground and console-based video games scheduled 4 days per week for 24 weeks. Families received training and curriculum materials. PA (accelerometry), MP (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of MP), and health-related quality of life were obtained before (PRE), after completing the intervention (POST), and at FU.
Results: There were no significant changes in PA at any time point. At FU and POST, participants showed higher bilateral coordination (PRE = 9.3 [0.4], POST = 11.7 [0.5], and FU = 11.1 [0.6]); speed and agility (PRE = 9.2 [0.4], POST = 10.8 [0.4], and FU = 11.5 [0.5]); and strength (PRE = 8.0 [0.3], POST = 9.2 [0.3], and FU = 9.2 [0.3]) than at PRE. At FU (80.3 [2.1]) and POST (79.8 [1.7]), youth without PWS showed higher health-related quality of life than PRE (75.0 [1.8]).
Conclusion: The improvements in MP and health-related quality of life at FU suggest long-term durability of intervention outcomes.
Keywords: balance; body coordination; children; muscular strength; physical activity.