Recommending Physical Activity for People with Intellectual Disabilities: The Relevance of Public Health Guidelines, Physical Activity Behaviour and Type of Contact

Christoph Kreinbucher-Bekerle (), Wolfgang Ruf, Astrid Bartholomeyczik, Frank Wieber and Nikolai Kiselev
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Christoph Kreinbucher-Bekerle: Institute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Wolfgang Ruf: Institute of Sport Science, German University of Health and Sports, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Astrid Bartholomeyczik: Institute of Sport Science, German University of Health and Sports, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Frank Wieber: Institute of Public Health, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
Nikolai Kiselev: PluSport, Umbrella Organization of Swiss Disabled Sports, 8604 Volketswil, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: People with an intellectual disability (ID) often exhibit more sedentary behaviour and are less physically active than the general population. While previous public health guidelines on physical activity (PA) did not specifically address the needs of people with an ID, the recent updates now include this population, with recommendations similar to those for the general population. However, it is unclear whether the information about these guidelines has reached the broader public and what factors may influence their implementation. To investigate these issues, an online survey was conducted in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, which examined the (a) PA recommendation for people with an ID, (b) awareness of current guidelines, (c) participants’ own PA behaviour (IPAQ-SF) and (d) specific contact with people with an ID. Participants ( n = 585) recommended similar levels of PA for people with an ID as for the general population, but knowledge of the guidelines did not affect their recommendation. However, participants’ own PA behaviour and context-specific contact (e.g., in family or at work) were associated with the recommended PA levels. Therefore, promoting the relevance of PA and fostering contact with people with an ID might be suitable ways to increase PA in people with an ID.

Keywords: disability; exercise; inclusion; physical activity; recommendation; sports (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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