Development of a single-item physical activity intention measure for adults with intellectual disabilities: Evidence of validity and reliability.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is important for overall health and well-being, but adults with intellectual disabilities often struggle to achieve adequate levels of PA. Therefore, it is necessary to understand their PA behaviour. OBJECTIVE: To develop a Single-Item Physical Activity Intention Measure (SPAIM) to assess PA intentions of adults with intellectual disabilities and preliminarily analyse its psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability. METHODS: The study had three phases: developing the SPAIM, assessing its validity and reliability evidence, and conducting a cross-sectional survey to analyse the relationship between PA intentions (measured by SPAIM) and PA levels. Participants were recruited between September 2016 and August 2017 from diverse settings in Oxford, UK, to ensure representation across the intellectual disability spectrum. RESULTS: There were 82 participants aged 20-68 (mean age 36 ± 13) years who had mild-profound intellectual disabilities. The study provided evidence of content- and response processes-related validity to ensure respondents' understanding. Additionally, test-criterion evidence was provided, showing a predictive correlation between PA intention and sedentary hours/day (12 % of the explained variability). However, there was no correlation between PA intention and PA minutes/week. The study also provided adequate test-retest evidence (r = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: SPAIM may be a valuable tool for measuring PA intention in adults with intellectual disabilities. Modifying PA intentions could prove crucial in reducing sedentary behaviour and improving the health outcomes of this population. Future research and application of SPAIM in varied contexts will deepen our understanding of PA intentions and explore its predictive characteristics.

Effects of rebound exercises on balance and mobility of people with neurological disorders: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic rebound exercise is gaining popularity among the general population, but its effectiveness in individuals with neurological impairments remains uncertain. To shed light on this, a systematic review was conducted between November 2021 and March 2023 to study the impact of rebound exercise on balance and mobility in this group. METHODS: Six databases were searched. Studies were included if written in English, peer-reviewed, had original research data and assessed the effect of rebound exercise in adults with neurological disorders. The outcomes measured were balance and mobility. Two reviewers independently appraised study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program for Randomized Controlled Trials. Finally, a meta-summary of the included studies was completed, and a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan software version 5.3 to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS: Five studies were included comprising 130 participants aged 31.32±7.67 to 58±12 years, 72% male and 28% female. Participants were in-patients with stroke (49%), multiple sclerosis (24%), Parkinson's disease (15%) and spinal cord injury (12%). The included papers had moderate to high methodological quality. The timed up-and-go test revealed that the rebound group participants could walk 6.08 seconds quicker over three to eight weeks. Pooled results show that rebound exercise significantly improves mobility (-0.53[-0.94, -0.11], p = 0.01), but no significant improvement was observed in balance. CONCLUSION: Rebound exercise has shown the potential to improve mobility in people with neurological disorders. However, the findings should be in the context that the included studies are few and participants were in in-patient settings. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021298030.

Physical activity levels in adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review.

Despite evidence that inactivity is a major factor causing ill health in people with intellectual disabilities (pwID) there are gaps in our knowledge of their physical activity (PA). To date, there is no published systematic review of their PA levels. Therefore, we performed a systematic review from January-October 2015, comprising studies from across the globe to establish PA levels, determine how they were measured, and what factors influenced PA in adults with intellectual disabilities (awID). Five databases were searched. Studies were included if written in English, peer-reviewed, had primary research data, and measured PA levels of awID. Quality was assessed using a 19-item checklist. Meta-summary of the findings was performed and a meta-analysis of factors influencing PA using multiple regression. Fifteen studies were included consisting of 3159 awID, aged 16-81 years, 54% male and 46% female. Only 9% of participants achieved minimum PA guidelines. PA levels were measured using objective and subjective methods. ID severity, living in care, gender, and age were independently significantly correlated with the number of participants achieving PA guidelines with the strongest predictor being ID severity (Beta 0.631, p < 0.001). Findings should be in the context that most of the participants were in the mild/moderate range of ID severity and none of the studies objectively measured PA in people with profound ID. To inform measurement and intervention design for improved PA, we recommend that there is an urgent need for future PA studies in awID population to include all disability severity levels. PROSPERO registration number CRD42015016675.