Facilitators and barriers to physical activity as perceived by older adults with intellectual disability.
Make exercise fun, social, and routine for older adults with ID; pain, low confidence, and missing programs are the big stops.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team talked to the adults with intellectual disability. All were 55 or older.
They asked what helps and what blocks exercise. They used small group chats and one-on-one talks.
The talks were taped and coded for themes. No one tried a new workout; the study just listened.
What they found
Fun, friends, and steady routines made people move more.
Pain, low confidence, and no place to go kept them on the couch.
Caregiver help was a double edge: needed, but could also smother choice.
How this fits with other research
Austin et al. (2015) counted smaller, weaker family networks for adults with ID. Fewer natural cheerleaders backs up the low confidence theme here.
Faso et al. (2016) trimmed depression and anxiety with a life-story program. Better mood could remove one of the top barriers named in our target paper.
Vargas (2013) review says check every layer of life when you plan support. The target’s findings plug straight into that checklist: micro (health), meso (caregiver), macro (no programs).
Iqbal (2002) shows staff quit DRI when ethics feel shaky. Likewise, our older adults skip exercise when choices feel wrong or unsafe. Both papers shout: fit the setting to the person, not the other way around.
Why it matters
You now have a map. Build exercise that feels like play, happens at the same time each week, and includes a buddy. Ask what hurts, teach the skill step-by-step, and secure caregiver buy-in without taking over. These tweaks cost little but lift the top three barriers clients named.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Older people with intellectual disability (ID) are characterized by low physical activity (PA) levels. PA is important for reducing health risks and maintaining adequate fitness levels for performing activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to explore preferences of older adults with ID for specific physical activities, and to gain insight into facilitators and barriers to engaging into PA. Fourteen in-depth interviews and four focus groups were undertaken, with a total of 40 older adults with mild and moderate ID included in the analysis. NVivo software was used for analysing the transcribed verbatim interviews. In total, 30 codes for facilitators and barriers were identified. Themes concerning facilitators to PA were enjoyment, support from others, social contact and friendship, reward, familiarity, and routine of activities. Themes concerning barriers to PA were health and physiological factors, lack of self-confidence, lack of skills, lack of support, transportation problems, costs, and lack of appropriate PA options and materials. The results of the present study suggest that older adults with ID may benefit from specific PA programs, adapted to their individual needs and limitations. Results can be used for developing feasible health promotion programs for older adults with ID.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-52.3.175