Care staff intentions to support adults with an intellectual disability to engage in physical activity: an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour.
Boost staff sense of control, not just their attitudes, to get adults with ID moving.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Martin et al. (2011) asked care staff one question: what makes you willing to help adults with intellectual disability exercise?
They used a short survey built on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Staff rated how much control they feel, how positive they feel, and what others expect.
The team then looked at which survey scores best predicted staff intention to support physical activity.
What they found
Perceived control won. When staff believed "I can make this happen," they intended to help and clients were more active.
Attitude mattered too, but only for intention, not for actual client movement.
How this fits with other research
Dudley et al. (2019) turned the same ideas into a ready-to-use staff scale, extending the 2011 survey into everyday practice.
Bergström et al. (2013) ran a cluster trial where staff-led step programs added 1,600 steps a day, showing that strong staff intentions can translate to real gains.
Powers et al. (2021) interviewed staff and echoed the 2011 finding: staff who feel in control of schedules and transport are the gatekeepers to community activity.
Why it matters
Stop preaching attitude change. Instead, give staff concrete control: clear policies, flexible time blocks, keys to the van, and a quick way to book parks or gyms. When staff believe they can act, they do, and clients move more.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Researchers suggest that people with an intellectual disability (ID) undertake less physical activity than the general population and many rely, to some extent, on others to help them to access activities. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model was previously found to significantly predict the intention of care staff to facilitate a healthy diet in those they supported. The present study examined whether the TPB was useful in predicting the intentions of 78 Scottish care staff to support people with ID to engage in physical activity. Regression analyses indicated that perceived behavioural control was the most significant predictor of both care staff intention to facilitate physical activity and reported physical activity levels of the people they supported. Attitudes significantly predicted care staff intention to support physical activity, but this intention was not itself significantly predictive of reported activity levels. Increasing carers' sense of control over their ability to support clients' physical activity may be more effective in increasing physical activity than changing their attitudes towards promoting activity.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.07.006