Institute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
J Intellect Disabil Res. 2022 Dec;66(12):1023-1033. doi: 10.1111/jir.12956. Epub 2022 Jun 13.
The promotion of physical activity and the decrease of inactivity and sedentary behaviour are crucial for a healthy lifestyle and positive quality of life. People with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk of inactivity and sedentary behaviour. Therefore, it is important to increase their physical activity by implementing physical activity guidelines in their daily life. Professional direct care providers can play a decisive role in supporting people with intellectual disabilities to participate in physical activity, but the engagement of direct care providers with this role may be reflective of their own attitudes and beliefs towards physical activity. Therefore, the link between the implementation of current physical activity guidelines for people with intellectual disabilities and direct care providers' own beliefs and behaviour with regard to physical activity is investigated.
A total of 104 direct care providers completed self-reported questionnaires about their own physical activity behaviour (IPAQ-SF), recommendations for people with intellectual disabilities (adaption of EMIQ-HP) and questions regarding global physical activity guidelines. They were also asked about potential barriers and facilitators for the recommendation of physical activity in open-ended questions.
Personal physical activity behaviour is related to the recommended physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: r = 0.408, P = 0.005). However, recommended physical activity behaviour for people with intellectual disabilities is significantly lower than direct care providers' own physical activity behaviour (P < 0.001). 47.1% of the respondents recommended people with intellectual disabilities to participate in less than the 150 min of moderate intensity physical activity per week for that is recommended in global physical activity guidelines.
Direct care providers may hold stereotypical views and insecurities about the potential harms associated with people with intellectual disabilities participating in physical activity. Therefore, the dissemination of physical activity recommendations for people with intellectual disabilities should be a major target for health professionals, social workers and scientists to address direct care providers' concerns. Furthermore, we need to emphasise the benefits of regular physical activity to professional direct care providers and directly to people with intellectual disabilities.
促进身体活动、减少不活动和久坐行为对于健康的生活方式和积极的生活质量至关重要。智障人士的不活动和久坐行为风险增加。因此，通过在日常生活中实施身体活动指南来增加他们的身体活动量非常重要。专业的直接护理提供者可以在支持智障人士参与身体活动方面发挥决定性作用，但直接护理提供者对这一角色的参与可能反映了他们自己对身体活动的态度和信念。因此，研究了当前智障人士身体活动指南的实施与直接护理提供者自身对身体活动的信念和行为之间的联系。
共有 104 名直接护理提供者完成了关于他们自己的身体活动行为（IPAQ-SF）、为智障人士的建议（适应版 EMIQ-HP）以及关于全球身体活动指南的问题的自我报告问卷。他们还被要求在开放式问题中回答推荐身体活动的潜在障碍和促进因素。
个人身体活动行为与为智障人士推荐的身体活动行为相关（中度至剧烈身体活动：r = 0.408，P = 0.005）。然而，为智障人士推荐的身体活动行为明显低于直接护理提供者自身的身体活动行为（P < 0.001）。47.1%的受访者建议智障人士每周参加的中度强度身体活动少于全球身体活动指南推荐的 150 分钟。
直接护理提供者可能对智障人士参与身体活动相关的潜在危害持有刻板印象和不安全感。因此，为智障人士传播身体活动建议应成为卫生专业人员、社会工作者和科学家的主要目标，以解决直接护理提供者的担忧。此外，我们需要向专业的直接护理提供者和智障人士本人强调定期身体活动的好处。
