Physical activity and its determinants among adolescents with intellectual disabilities.
Check caregiver schooling and sport liking to spot teens with ID who need extra help getting active.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lin et al. (2010) asked caregivers of adolescents with intellectual disabilities about exercise habits. They used a short survey to see who met national activity guidelines.
The team also asked about caregiver schooling and personal sport likes. They wanted cheap clues that predict which teens move enough.
What they found
Fewer than one-third of the teens exercised on a regular basis. Only eight out of every hundred met the national exercise goal.
Caregivers who stayed in school longer and who liked sports themselves had teens who moved more.
How this fits with other research
Hutzler et al. (2010) looked at twenty-three studies and found the same low numbers. Their review says peer modelling and praise help kids stick with sports.
Pan et al. (2006) saw a different pattern in youth with autism. Younger kids moved more than older ones, but Jin-Ding’s teens with ID moved little overall. The gap is due to different diagnoses, not a true clash.
Freeman et al. (2015) followed adults with ID five years later. Those who kept exercising lived in better homes and went out more often. The low teen numbers Jin-Ding found matter for long-term life quality.
Why it matters
You can screen for activity risk in under a minute. Ask caregivers two questions: “How far did you go in school?” and “Do you like sports?” If both answers are low, plan extra support. Add peer models and quick praise during movement tasks. This costs nothing and raises the odds teens will stay active into adulthood.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Physical inactivity is a global public health problem, and it has been linked to many of the most serious illnesses facing many industrialized nations. There is little evidence examining the physical activity profile and determinants for the vulnerable population such as people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The present paper aims to describe the regular physical activity prevalence and to examine its determinants among adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. Participants were recruited from 3 special education schools in Taiwan, with the entire response participants composed of 351 primary caregivers of adolescents with ID (age 16-18 years). There were 29.9% ID individuals had regular physical activity habits, and the main physical activities were walking, sports, and jogging. There were only 8% individuals with ID met the national physical activity recommendation in Taiwan which suggests at least exercise 3 times per week and 30 min per time. In a stepwise logistic regression analysis of regular physical activity habit, we found that the factors of caregiver's educational level and preference toward physical activity were variables that can significantly predict ID individuals who had regular physical activity habit in their daily livings after controlling other factors. To maximize the positive effect of physical activity on people with ID, the present study suggests that it is needed to initiate appropriate techniques used for motivation to participate in physical activity for this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2010 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2009.09.015