en Health Promotion Health Promotion پژوهشي Original Article <div> <div class="WordSection1" style="text-align: justify;"> <div class="WordSection1"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="page:WordSection1"><b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">Background:</span></b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> Children with intellectual impairment have impaired or delayed development of motor skills due to impaired mental function. In the present study, the effect and durability of exercise and sports games on the motor abilities and quality of life (QoL) of children with intellectual impairment were investigated.</span><br> <b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">Methods:</span></b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> </span><span style="background:yellow"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">This randomized controlled study assessed sixty boys aged 8-12 years with mild intellectual impairment in three groups: an exercise group (aerobic and resistance training), a sports games group (basketball and futsal), and a control group, for 8 weeks. Motor abilities were assessed using the 4x9 m shuttle run, ball-catching against a wall, stork balance test, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, while BMI and QoL were evaluated using the Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedsQL-parent proxy report) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with significance set at </span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> < 0.05.</span></span><br> <b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">Results:</span></b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> Significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in post-test results for motor ability and QoL (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> < 0.05). During follow-up, static balance (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> = 0.001) and QoL (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> < 0.05) also showed significant improvements in the experimental groups compared to the control group. Moreover, coordination improved significantly in the sports games group compared to the control group (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> = 0.016), while agility improved in the exercise group (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> = 0.006). Follow-up analysis revealed significant differences in overall QoL, psychosocial health, and school functioning between the exercise and sports games groups (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> = 0.001). Intra-group analysis showed significant differences in motor abilities (except for BMI) and QoL in both experimental groups and at all-time points (</span><i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">P</span></i><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> = 0.001).</span><br> <b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="background-color:#ffffff;"> The interventions demonstrated positive effects on most variables of motor ability and QoL. The exercise group showed superior improvements in motor abilities, while the sports games group exhibited greater enhancements in QoL. Integrating both types of interventions may yield more comprehensive benefits.</span></span></span></span></div> <div aria-label="Page Break" class="cke_pagebreak" contenteditable="false" data-cke-display-name="pagebreak" data-cke-pagebreak="1" style="page-break-after:always" title="Page Break"></div></div> <div aria-label="Page Break" class="cke_pagebreak" contenteditable="false" data-cke-display-name="pagebreak" data-cke-pagebreak="1" style="page-break-after:always" title="Page Break"></div></div> PedsQL, Physical activity, Mild intellectual disabilities, Sport, Childhood, 36 44 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-651-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Milad Fadaei Dehcheshmeh miladfadaei71@gmail.com 100319475328460015687 100319475328460015687 Yes Department of Sport Injury and Corrective Exercise, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Gilan, Rasht, Iran. Ali Shamsi Majelan alishamsim@yahoo.com 100319475328460015688 100319475328460015688 No Department of Sport Injury and Corrective Exercise, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Gilan, Rasht, Iran.