This study measures physical activity levels in a representative population-based sample of older adults (aged ≥50 years) with intellectual disabilities. For this, the steps/day of all 1050 participants of the Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disabilities study (HA-ID; a study conducted among three Dutch healthcare providers in 2009–2010), were measured with a pedometer. Largely due to physical limitations (n = 103), walking speed <3.2 km/h (n = 252), limited understanding or non-cooperation (n = 233), only 257 of the group were able to participate in valid measurements with pedometers. Of these 257 participants, only 16.7% (95% CI 12.2–21.3) complied with the guideline of 10,000 steps/day, 36.2% (95% CI 30.3–42.1) took 7500 steps/day or more, and 39% (95% CI 32.6–44.5) was sedentary (<5000 steps/day). Because the measured sample was the more functionally able part of the total sample, this result is likely to be a considerable overestimation of the actual physical activity levels in this population. This realistic study shows that physical activity levels are extremely low in adults aged 50 years and over with intellectual disabilities. Focus on lifetime promotion of physical activity in this specific, but rapidly growing population, is recommended.
Although the life expectancy of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is increasing due to improved health care (Patja, Iivanainen, Vesala, Oksanen, & Ruoppila, 2000), it is unknown whether these extra years are healthy or unhealthy, and prevention in this group has received little attention. Low levels of physical activity have been consistently demonstrated in adolescents and adults with ID (Temple, Frey, & Stanish, 2006). Prevention research has shown the positive effects of physical activity on physical and psychological health (DHHS, 2008, WHO, 2003 and WHO, 2009) and such effects are also seen in the ageing population (Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009 and DiPietro, 2001). Considering these health benefits, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation concerning physical activity is equally as important to vulnerable populations with chronic illness and disability, such as intellectual disability (ID) (Tudor-Locke, Hart, & Washington, 2009). Because older populations are generally less active than younger adults (Caspersen and Merritt, 1995 and Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009), we expect older adults with ID to be at particular risk for low levels of physical activity. In addition to the personal health and wellbeing of older adults with ID, the consequences of inactivity may increasingly influence required levels of support and future health care costs of this population. Therefore, more insight into their physical activity levels is urgently required; this is the first aim of the present study.
Relevant subgroups at risk for low levels of physical activity have been identified in the general population, based on demographic and biological factors. A positive relationship was shown between physical activity and education level, heredity and income; and a negative relationship between physical activity and older age, female gender and race (non-white) (Trost, Owen, Bauman, Sallis, & Brown, 2002). In the population with ID, negative relationships have repeatedly been found for older age (Finlayson et al., 2009 and Peterson et al., 2008), more severe level of ID (Peterson et al., 2008), epilepsy (Finlayson et al., 2009), and living in more supported settings (Finlayson et al., 2009 and Robertson et al., 2000) or, contradictorily, living in a group home (Rimmer, Braddock, & Marks, 1995); whereas, in contrast with the general population, no difference in physical activity levels was found between men and women (Draheim et al., 2002, Peterson et al., 2008 and Stanish and Draheim, 2005b), with the exception of one study (Emerson, 2005). Because of such inconsistencies, together with the small number of factors investigated and the inclusion of young/healthy participants with only mild to moderate ID, the second aim of this study was to examine which subgroups are at higher risk of physical inactivity among the older population with ID.
