RESUMO
Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) often live a sedentary lifestyle and have higher rates of overweight and obesity. The purpose of this report is to describe the design and methods of a multi-component physical activity (PA) intervention program that aims to increase PA levels in adults with ID who live in group homes. The study employed a multi-component delayed treatment control group design involving adults with ID who lived in two group homes. Interventions included 30 exercise sessions in groups over a 10-week period and three educational lessons based on social cognitive theory that aimed to improve self-efficacy and social support for PA in the participants. In addition, staff training in exercise and advice on institutional PA policies were provided to the caregivers working in the group homes. Outcome measures on three aspects were collected: (1) physical fitness, (2) PA as assessed by an ActiGraph accelerometer, and (3) self-efficacy and social support for PA. Our major objective was to develop the intervention protocol, and the successful completion of this study will provide valuable evidence on how to promote active lifestyles in adults with ID.
RESUMO
Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) typically have a sedentary lifestyle and higher rates of overweight and obesity. This study describes the habitual daily physical activity (PA) and the health-related physical fitness (PF) of adults with mild and moderate ID who resided in four group homes and worked in sheltered workshops. We also assessed the contribution of PF variables towards PA levels and sedentary behavior of this population subgroup. Adults with mild and moderate ID (N = 114) were assessed on PF tests (percent body fat, waist and hip circumferences, 6-min walk (6MWT), arm curl, and sit and reach). PA and sedentary behavior on weekdays were determined using Actigraph accelerometers. Results showed these adults averaged 2% of their daily time (or 10 min) engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and 67% of the time (495 min) being sedentary. No significant differences between mild and moderate ID were found for any PA or PF variable. Linear multiple regression analyses showed 6MWT to be the only significant PF variable contributing to the variance of PA and sedentary behavior. In conclusion, adults with ID reside in group home have low PA and low fitness levels. Among fitness variables, the walking test (i.e., cardiovascular fitness) had the highest positive association with participants’ daily PA, MVPA, and negative association with sedentary behavior. Future intervention studies in promoting PA and fitness for adults with ID are warranted.