Effects of 24-week basketball programme on body composition and functional fitness on adults with Down syndrome.

Only 22 adults were analysed, all from one association in one city in China; the authors themselves note that the similar ages and uneven gender mix (18 men, 4 women) limit how far the results can be generalised. No intelligence quotient records were available, so the level of intellectual impairment in the group is unknown. There was no guarantee that participants exercised at maximum effort; exercise intensity and heart rate were not monitored. The paper calls the design quasi-experimental even though allocation was decided by drawing a number from a hat, and it states an intention-to-treat approach while the analysis appears to include only those who completed the final test (one control participant left, and the control group is reported as 11 people). The paper does not say whether the people doing the testing knew which group each participant was in, and the control group had no structured activity; extra coaching attention in the exercise group could have contributed to the changes. Almost everyone in the exercise group attended nearly every session and everyone completed all the tests, so this says little about adults with Down syndrome who need more support to take part.

Funded by the Anhui Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Foundation (AHSKY2020D78) and the University Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Province (KJ2020A0059), both public research funds. The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and no company selling the intervention was involved.

Do not read this as proof that basketball will work for every adult with Down syndrome. Only 22 people took part, all recruited from one association in one city, and anyone with heart disease, another chronic illness or difficulty understanding instructions was excluded, so the sample was relatively able. The sessions were run by three qualified basketball coaches, which many services could not provide.