An exploration into self-reported inactivity behaviours of adults with an intellectual disability using physical activity questionnaires.
Two short questionnaires catch inactivity in adults with ID and point to fixable causes like late waking, mobility limits, and epilepsy.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Greenlee et al. (2024) mapped how inactive adults with intellectual disability say they are.
They gave two short questionnaires: IPAQ-SF and RAPA. They checked if the answers matched.
The team also looked for red flags that go with low activity, like health or daily-living issues.
What they found
The two tools only weakly agreed; people scored low on both, but not in the same way.
Sleeping past 7 a.m., trouble walking 100 yards, and having epilepsy were linked to lower activity scores.
How this fits with other research
Takahashi et al. (2023) asked Chinese students with ID the same kind of questions and found most miss screen-time and exercise targets. Together the papers show the problem starts young and lasts into adulthood.
Gerber et al. (2011) list pain, sleep problems, and visual loss as triggers for challenging behaviour. Greenlee et al. (2024) now add these same factors to the “why they sit still” list, so one health screen can serve two goals.
Crane et al. (2010) proved specialised sports raise fitness. Their results nudge us to act once the questionnaires flag inactivity; assessment without follow-up activity leaves gains on the table.
Why it matters
You now have two quick forms that adults with ID can answer with staff help. If scores are low, check for late wake-up, walking limits, or seizures first. Fix those, then link the person to a sport or walking club. One short screen plus one referral can replace hours of guessing why they stay seated.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Inactivity is a correlate of adverse health. Adults with an intellectual disability (ID) are more inactive than the general population and often present with more complex health issues. Self-reported activity questionnaires such as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) questionnaire are the predominant source of activity information because of their low cost, non-invasive nature, ease of administration and interpretation of results. METHODS: Correlates of inactivity among the general and ID populations were identified through a literature scoping review. Inactivity was measured using the RAPA and the IPAQ-SF. A multiple-imputation chained equation was used to impute missing data. Using Pearson chi-squared analyses, relationships between these correlates as well as covariates of age, sex, level of ID, body mass index (BMI) and aetiology, and RAPA and IPAQ-SF categories were explored. Logistic regression provided more detailed analyses. Results were summarised using the Systems of Sedentary Behaviour framework. Spearman correlations examined the IPAQ-SF and RAPA relationships. RESULTS: Three correlates for inactivity emerged from the IPAQ-SF and RAPA questionnaire. Up after 07:00 h was a correlate for both. Difficulty walking 100 yards and epilepsy were additional correlates of inactivity. Weak but significant correlations were seen between IPAQ-SF and RAPA scores. CONCLUSIONS: High inactivity levels are present in adults with an ID. The IPAQ-SF and RAPA questionnaires are weakly correlated.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2024 · doi:10.1111/jir.13184