Effectiveness of a School-based Cardiorespiratory Endurance Training Programme on Motor Coordination, Functional Endurance, Sleep Quality, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Tri

Abstract

Introduction: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterised by motor coordination difficulties that secondarily impair cardiorespiratory fitness, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life. Targeted cardiorespiratory endurance training (CRET) may address these multi-domain impairments simultaneously; however, evidence from randomised controlled trials, particularly from Indian school settings, remains scarce.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week school-based gamified CRET programme compared to a general exercise (GE) programme on motor coordination, cardiorespiratory endurance, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life in children with DCD.

Materials and Methods: A randomised controlled trial with a pre-test and two post-test design was conducted in selected schools of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. Eighty children aged 9–15 years with confirmed DCD were randomly allocated to either the CRET group (n=40) or GE group (n=40). The CRET group received three weekly sessions of structured, gamified aerobic training for eight weeks. The GE group received equivalent-duration coordination and balance-focused exercise. Outcome measures — Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ'07), Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), and Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL 4.0) — were assessed at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks. Repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc correction and independent samples t-tests were used for analysis.

Results: The CRET group demonstrated significant within-group improvements in all four outcomes: DCDQ (F=9.91, p=0.01), 6MWT (F=13.957, p=0.001), SDSC (F=12.1, p<0.001), and PedsQL (F=7.632, p=0.001). The GE group showed improvement only in motor coordination (F=3.005, p=0.043). Between-group comparisons at eight weeks significantly favoured CRET for coordination (p=0.001), endurance (p<0.001), and sleep quality (p=0.003).

Conclusion: A school-based CRET programme significantly improves motor coordination, cardiorespiratory endurance, sleep quality, and quality of life in children with DCD, with benefits substantially exceeding those of general exercise. These findings support integration of aerobic training into DCD management protocols.