Physical activity: analysis of physical activity levels in children with visual impairments in Germany

For the first time in German-speaking countries, the (1) daily physical activity and physical activity level in physical education classes, (2) body composition and (3) subjective assessment of the emotional well-being of visually impaired pupils (n=115) at a school for special education were compared with pupils (n=118) without visual impairment at a general school. In addition, the question as to whether the degree of visual acuity is related to the above-mentioned parameters was addressed. It was found that the visually impaired and blind study participants were able to achieve at least comparable values in all the parameters surveyed. In comparison to the control group without visual impairment, the visually impaired and blind pupils showed neither insufficient movement profiles nor poorer body composition. In addition, the movement profiles of the visually impaired and blind pupils in and outside physical education classes was not significantly correlated with the degree of visual acuity.