A Comparative Study of Minimum Muscular Fitness in Students with Visual Impairment and Normal Vision

The protective effects of fitness on several health related outcomes have clearly been shown among normal sighted students. However, currently there is a dearth of data pertaining to children with visual impairment regarding their fitness. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in minimum muscular fitness among students with visual impairment and normal vision. Two hundred thirty six students; visually impaired (n=125) and sighted (n =111); of South India matched on age, height, weight, and gender participated in this study. Participants were evaluated for minimum muscular fitness through Kraus-Weber test. Chi - square test was used to calculate the frequency and percentage of failure and success in both the groups. The results demonstrated that sighted students had significantly greater levels of muscle fitness than students with visual impairment. It appears that students with visual impairment are deficient in muscle strength as compared to sighted students. Inclusion of physical activities such as yoga in the regular curriculum of the school is suggested for the improvement of the failures status.