Chronotype as a predictor of athletic performance in youth with mild intellectual disabilities

Ahmet Kurtoğlu; Özgür Eken; Musa Türkmen; Bekir Çar; Edi Setiawan; Baglan Yermakhanov; Madawi H Alotaibi; Safaa M Elkholi

doi:10.3389/fphys.2024.1405595

Chronotype as a predictor of athletic performance in youth with mild intellectual disabilities

Front Physiol. 2024 Jul 5:15:1405595. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1405595. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Ahmet Kurtoğlu¹, Özgür Eken², Musa Türkmen², Bekir Çar³, Edi Setiawan⁴, Baglan Yermakhanov⁵, Madawi H Alotaibi⁶, Safaa M Elkholi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Science, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Balikesir, Türkiye.
² Department of Physical Education and Sport Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Inonu University, Malatya, Türkiye.
³ Department of Physical Education and Sport Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Bandirma, Türkiye.
⁴ Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Suryakancana, Cianjur, Indonesia.
⁵ Faculty of Sports and Arts, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan.
⁶ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to explore the influence of circadian rhythms on athletic performance in individuals with mild intellectual disabilities (ID), with a specific focus on elucidating the association between chronotype and various performance metrics.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study consisting of 30 male participants aged between 11 and 19 years and diagnosed with mild ID. The chronotypes of all participants were assessed using the Childhood Chronotype Questionnaire (CCQ). Performance assessments were divided into three groups. Group A tests [sit and reach, medicine ball throw (MBT), plank], group B tests [handgrip strength (HGS), standing long jump (SLJ), 20-m sprint (20 ms)] and group C tests [vertical jump (VJ), hanging with bent arm (HBA), Illinois agility test) in order to ensure adequate rest periods between tests and not to affect the results. These group tests were performed 48 h apart, between 09:00-10:00 and 17:00-18:00, after a dynamic warm-up session.

Results: Significant variations were observed in the sit-and-reach test (t = -4.154, d = -0.75, p < .001), HGS (t = -2.484, d = -0.45, p = .019), SLJ (t = -2.117, d = -0.38, p = .043), VJ (t = -5.004, d = -0.91, p < .001), and plank duration (t = -4.653, d = -0.84, p < .001). Evening performances showed improvement in MBT, HBA, 20 ms, and the Illinois agility test, although these differences were not statistically significant (p > .05). Notably, positive correlations were identified between participants' chronotypes and their performance in HBA (morning/evening; r = .693, p = .026; r = .656, p = .039, respectively) and the plank (evening; r = .717, p = .020), with negative correlations noted in the 20 ms (morning/evening; r = -.703, p = .023; r = -.710, p = .021, respectively).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that individuals with mild ID exhibit enhanced athletic performance during evening hours. These insights underscore the importance of considering chronotype in tailoring exercise interventions for this population to optimize outcomes.

Keywords: athletic performance; chronotype; circadian rhythm; exercise; intellectual disability.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was funded by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP 2024R535), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.