The influence of assistance in home-based exercise programmes for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND

Regular physical activity (PA) decreases the risk of comorbidities associated with a sedentary lifestyle in individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs). They also may experience additional barriers that may prevent PA, including access, proper instruction and support. At-home PA programming is a feasible alternative to long-term adherence. This study aimed to determine (1) how an at-home DVD programme affects PA adherence and (2) the extent to which caregiver support influences PA.

METHODS

Thirty-one adolescent or adult-aged participants with mild or moderate ID were randomised into a DVD or control group exercise intervention. Participants were given autonomy to choose what type of PA modality from the intervention they would like to participate in. Caregiver support during the PA was also measured.

RESULTS

The two-way repeated-measures MANOVA demonstrated that the intervention DVD group was statistically significant, with a large effect size in PA minutes (P = 0.014, ηP = 0.236) and rate of perceived exertion (P = 0.002, ηP = 0.342) compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrated that using an adapted DVD increased PA minutes and the rate of perceived exertion without high levels of caregiver support.