Low physical fitness levels in older adults with ID: results of the HA-ID study.
Most adults with ID over 50 already move like people two decades older, so plan programs for a much older body.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The HA-ID team tested the adults with intellectual disability who were 50 years or older. They used standard fitness tests like walking speed, grip strength, and balance.
Each score was matched against norms for the general population of the same age.
What they found
Two out of three adults had fitness equal to people 20-30 years older in the general public. Balance and leg power were the weakest areas.
The gap was largest after age 60 and in people with Down syndrome.
How this fits with other research
Hsieh et al. (2015) extends this picture. They show the same ID group also has higher BMI and less daily movement, pointing to adulthood stage and community access as extra drivers.
Bauman et al. (1996) foreshadowed the drop. Their 10-year follow-up saw ADL skills fall sharply after age 60 in the same population, so low fitness is part of a wider ageing pattern.
Nordstrøm et al. (2013) used the same balance and walking tests in younger adults with Down syndrome and found the same low scores, proving the decline starts early and worsens with age.
Why it matters
If you support adults with ID over 50, expect motor skills that look like they belong to someone 70-plus. Use shorter hallways, add grab bars, and break exercise into 5-minute chunks. Start balance drills before age 60; the data show the slide is predictable, not sudden.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Physical fitness is as important to aging adults with ID as in the general population, but to date, the physical fitness levels of this group are unknown. Comfortable walking speed, muscle strength (grip strength), muscle endurance (30s Chair stand) and cardiorespiratory endurance (10 m incremental shuttle walking test) were tested in a sample of 1050 older adults with ID, and results were compared with reference values from the general population. Across all age ranges, approximately two-third of the entire study population scored 'below average' or 'impaired'. Even the youngest age groups (50-59 or 50-54 years) in this sample achieve similar or worse results than age groups 20-30 years older in the general population. Low physical fitness levels in older adults with ID demonstrate that this group is prone to unnecessary premature loss of functioning and health problems, and maintaining physical fitness should have priority in practice and policy.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.01.013