Pay Attention to Hypertension (PAtH): Findings from a cardiovascular health promotion intervention for adults with intellectual disabilities participating in Special Olympics programming.
Monthly Zoom health talks lifted confidence but not blood pressure in Special Olympics athletes with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers created Pay Attention to Hypertension (PAtH). It gives monthly Zoom health talks to Special Olympics athletes who have intellectual disability. Coaches and athletes meet online for lessons on salt, exercise, and blood pressure.
The team checked blood pressure, salt use, and confidence before and after six months. No control group was used.
What they found
Blood pressure stayed the same. Exercise levels did not rise. Only one habit changed: athletes used less salt.
People felt more in charge of their health. The program lifted empowerment scores, but bodies stayed unchanged.
How this fits with other research
Ellingsen et al. (2014) ran a 14-week gym program and saw fitness and weight drop. PAtH used Zoom, not weights, so bodies stayed put. The difference is exercise dose, not desire.
Wu et al. (2010) tried telehealth weight-loss calls for adults with ID. Diet improved when caregivers cooked low-salt meals. PAtH copied the calls and got the same small salt win.
Bondár et al. (2020) reviewed five sport studies. Four showed higher exercise confidence after coached play. PAtH adds a sixth story: confidence can rise even when step counts don’t.
Bergström et al. (2013) gave group homes a health ambassador. Steps rose 1,600 a day, but BMI stayed flat. PAtH mirrors the pattern—mind moves, body stalls.
Why it matters
For BCBAs, the lesson is clear: teach the person and the team around them. Pair Zoom classes with real-life supports—staff who stock low-salt snacks, coaches who add warm-up laps, family who walk together. Track empowerment as its own win; it keeps people coming back while you shape stronger habits later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects adults globally. People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) may be at higher risk of CVD and associated risk factors (e.g. obesity, hypertension, and diabetes). We developed Pay Attention to Hypertension (PAtH), a cardiovascular health promotion intervention, and tested its impact on changes in blood pressure (BP), lifestyle behaviours and health-related empowerment among PWID. METHODS: PAtH was developed with a Special Olympics community organisation that supports PWID in developing self-confidence and social skills through participation in sports. The 6-month intervention consisted of 1-h individualised virtual sessions delivered monthly by nursing students/novice nurses. Sessions covered specific themes, including monitoring BP, adopting healthy lifestyles and managing stress, and were individually tailored to the capacities and needs of participants. A single group pre-post-intervention design was used to assess the intervention's effects among participants who completed the intervention and data collection. Data included baseline and follow-up BP measurements from 7-day logbooks and questionnaires assessing lifestyle behaviours [physical activity (PA), screen time and diet], and health-related empowerment. RESULTS: Seventy-four participants were included in the analyses. Between baseline and follow-up, there were no changes in systolic and diastolic BP, PA or leisure screen time. The proportion of participants who reported adding salt when cooking decreased from baseline to follow-up (19.7% vs. 12.7%, P = 0.034), and we found improvements for several items measuring health-related empowerment (P ≤ 0.003). CONCLUSION: Improvements in health-related empowerment were found following PAtH. More intensive interventions may be needed to result in changes in lifestyle behaviours and BP. The integration of adapted cardiovascular health promotion initiatives within well-established community organisations such as Special Olympics is a promising avenue to contribute to cardiovascular health promotion among PWID.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2025 · doi:10.1111/jir.13189