Physically inactive adults with intellectual disabilities who have poor balance and a history of falls Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning
Conditions
Interventions
The Special Olympics (SO) Slovenia programme provided a list of all adult athletes in their programme who, despite the designation, were physically inactive (?600 median minutes/week)
SO Games Management System software and HAP FF data were used for this purpose. The list of 180 Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) who are categorized as being inactive and
Sponsors
Special Olympics Slovenia
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Adults aged =18 years 2. Mild or moderate ID (ID is diagnosed using medical data) 3. Physically inactive (do not reach the World Health Organization recommendations on weekly physical activity level) 4. Experienced one or more falls in the 4 months previous to the study 5. No restraints in terms of World Health Organization recommendations on physical activity (i.e. with mandatory general practitioner clearance to participate in a physical activity programme 6. Ambulatory (i.e. able to walk independently) 7. Ability to consent – potential participants were either judged by their SO coach to be competent to give informed consent or had a guardian with power of attorney. The ID individuals or their legal guardians had given informed consent in writing. If a guardian signed informed indicated consent but the individual with ID did not want to participate, the individual was not enrolled. 8. Adequate communication – potential participants should be able to communicate preferences (e.g. whether they liked or disliked exercise), wants (e.g. whether they wanted to exercise more, to do physical activity for balance), and needs (e.g. assistance with physical activities regimes, transportation issues) through spoken language 9. Living with parents or in supported living (institutions, small group homes)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. People with severe or profound ID who could not understand the instructions and were not able to understand the meaning and purpose of the study 2. Atlantoaxial instability 3. Other limitations (guidelines from their primary care physician) 4. No fall history 6. Health concerns: 6.1. Restraints according to World Health Organization recommendations on physical activity (mandatory general practitioner clearance to participate in a physical activity programme) 6.2. Uncontrolled hypertension, severe heart disease, cancer, diabetes or vestibular disorders 6.3. Double diagnosis (ID and psychiatric disorder) who are currently being treated for depression or schizophrenia
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Frequency of falls at baseline (i.e. prior to randomization) and 16 weeks after randomization | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Static and dynamic balance tested using the Fun Fitness battery test (a functional reach test and a single leg stance test with eyes opened/closed; Bainbridge et al., 2013) at baseline (i.e. prior to randomization) and 16 weeks after randomization. . The functional reach test was done 1 hour after the physical activity programme in order to avoid the influence of tiredness. All the assessments were carried out individually in well-lit, quiet, air-conditioned rooms. | — |
Countries
Slovenia
Contacts
Public ContactTine Kovacic
Outcome results
None listed