Exercises and sports participation in healthy older adults with intellectual disability—A pilot study

Background: Many adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) have low physical activity (PA).
Lack of PA is a risk factor for metabolic and
cardiovascular diseases, and some types of
cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the rate of PA in healthy older adults with
ID. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data. Participants were caregivers of persons with ID who were over 50 years old and
living in a residential care center. A PA questionnaire and a daily rapport form were used to
gather information about the type and rate of
daily PA of persons with ID for 12 consecutive
days. The Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) was used to assess
functional dependency. Results: Healthy older
adults with ID do not engage in adequate regular
PA as recommended by the US Department of
Health and Human Services. Conclusion: The
low participation in PA for persons with ID may
be related to lack of appreciation of the benefits
of PA, lack of support from their caregivers and
difficulty finding experienced personnel to train
them.