Get Healthy! A pilot program to support people with intellectual disability to stay active and eat well

This is a pilot healthy lifestyle intervention for adults with intellectual disability and their carers. The active intervention runs over 12 weeks. It consists of two main components: 1) Nutrition education and meal planning support 2) Physical activity education and guided physical activity sessions BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTION: Intervention intensity and advice is tailored to the needs of each participant but includes a minimum of 2 contact hours per week (2X1 hour sessions per week of physical activity) for a 12 week period. Topics to be covered in the physical activity education sessions include: • What it means to be healthy • Consequences of obesity • Physical activity and screen time guidelines • Appropriate goal setting • Planning for maintenance and self-management • Barriers and how to address them 10% of each 60 minute physical activity session will be dedicated to education. Approximately 40% of each session will be dedicated to aerobic exercise, 30% to strength based exercise and 20% to balance based exercise. The types and intensity of the physical activities undertaken will be tailored to the needs and interests of each participant but may include activities such as: cycling on a stationary bike, walking, supported row, horizontal squat, stair climbing, wall push ups, light dumbbell work. Mode of delivery will be face-to-face. Activities will primarily occur in a group setting, however some one to one sessions may occur if the persons level of intellectual disability or other co-morbidities require it. These sessions will all be supervised by an exercise physiologist experienced in running interventions for people with intellectual disability. The exercise physiologists will record participation rates each session. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE NUTRITION INTERVENTION: Consists of 1 contact hour per week (1X1 hour sessions per week ) for a 12 week period. Nutrition information will be delivered in a face-to-face group setting and will be led by a qualified dietitian who will record participation rates each week. Topics covered will include: food groups, discretionary foods and healthy snacks, healthy drinks, portion size and mindful eating, and eating out choices. Carer participants will be exposed to the same physical activity and nutrition program as people with intellectual disability, with educational materials tailored accordingly (carer program- option A). Carers in the option A program and participants with ID will be grouped separately for session delivery. In cases where carers lack the time or capacity to participate in the full program they will be offered an alternative of attending one or more phone or face-to-face sessions with the researchers. During this session/s carers will be provided with information about healthy lifestyles. They will be offered tips for supporting the person with ID to achieve their nutrition and physical activity goals (carer program- option B). There is no set minimum number or length of sessions in the carer option B program. Physical activity sessions will be run from the UNSW Lifestyle Clinic. Nutrition sessions will be held at 3DN UNSW. Some nutrition and physical activity sessions may also occur in the community, for example, at the local park, at supervised day-care facilities or formal care residences staffed by disability care professionals. The size of each group will depend on the number of participants recruited and their level of support needs, however, in any case there will be no more than eight people per group.