Feasibility and Health Impacts of High-Intensity Functional Training for Adults with Mobility Disabilities

Purpose: This study evaluated the feasibility and initial effects of a 12-week high-intensity functional training (HIFT) intervention for adults with mobility disabilities. Design and Sample: A single-group, pre-post design with assessments at baseline and post-intervention. Twelve participants (75% female; 37-74 years) with mobility disabilities Intervention: Twelve-week, thrice weekly community-based HIFT program Measures: Feasibility was assessed via recruitment, retention, and adherence. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) evaluated functional health, while work capacity, flexibility and weight assessed physical outcomes. Psychosocial measures included the WHO-QOL Abbreviated Questionnaire, Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices and Barriers to Health Adapted for People with Disabilities scale. Energy expenditure via portable indirect calorimetry, and exit interviews captured participant experiences. Analysis: Feasibility was reported as percentages; descriptive statistics and effect sizes were calculated for functional, physical, and psychosocial outcomes. Thematic analysis identified themes from transcriptions. Results: Recruitment was 51%, retention 83%, and attendance 77.5%, with one adverse event. Improvements were observed in function (d=0.93-1.04), fitness (d=0.65-1.59), flexibility (d=0.36-0.64), BMI (d=0.32), quality of life (d=1.04), self-efficacy (d=1.03), and barriers to health behavior (d=0.48). Participants reported high satisfaction and community support. Energy expenditure averaged 154.65 (±65.5) kcals/session and 86.13 (±42) kcals during exercise. Conclusion: A community-based HIFT program for individuals with mobility disabilities is feasible, however, the small sample size limits the ability to attribute changes to the intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov: HIFT for People with Mobility-Related Disabilities (Research GO); NCT05516030.