Long-term outdoor recreation program for adults with intellectual disabilities: Feasibility and effects

Sharon Barak, Ayelet Dunsky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: While people with intellectual disabilities tend to refrain from physical activity, outdoor physical activity programs increase motivation to engage in physical activity. Method: Eighty adults with intellectual disabilities participated in a 12-month outdoor physical activity program. Attendance was used to assess feasibility. Aerobic capacity (6-min walk test), lower extremity endurance (30-s chair stand), and mobility (timed up and go) were assessed at three-time points: before, during, and after the program. Six interviews were also conducted with six staff members and participants. Results: The physical activity program was feasible, with all six groups completing the year-long activity. The six-minute walk and timed-up-and-go tests improved significantly. The qualitative analysis indicates the program's strengths (instructors' qualities and programs' social component) and weaknesses (dependency on weather and bureaucracy). Conclusion: Among adults with intellectual disabilities, a long-term outdoor physical activity program is feasible as a means for increasing aerobic capacity and improving mobility ability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1113-1123
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Volume36
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2023

Keywords

  • feasibility
  • fitness
  • instinctual disability
  • outdoors
  • physical activity
  • physical performance

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