Let’s Take A Walk: Exploring the Impact of an Inclusive Walking Program on the Physical and Mental Health of Adults with Intellectual Disability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2022.10.02.2Keywords:
Social inclusion, intellectual disability, mental health, depression, anxiety, physical healthAbstract
Background: People with intellectual disabilities experience health disparities and poorer health outcomes than people without disabilities. Increased physical activity has been found to reduce the impact of chronic health conditions among people with intellectual disabilities.
Method: The current study explored the impact of an inclusive walking program on the physical and mental health of adults with intellectual disabilities. Let’s Take A Walk paired adults with intellectual disabilities, hereafter referred to as Community Walkers (n = 27), with college students to walk around a college campus twice a week for 45 minutes across 10 weeks. Data on mental health outcomes, specifically depression and anxiety, were collected from 24 Community Walkers across four-time points (pre-, mid-, post-, and 3-months following intervention), and data on physical health outcomes were collected across two-time points (pre- and post-intervention).
Results: Community Walkers reported significant decreases in both depression and anxiety from pre to post-implementation. Particularly promising was clinically significant decreases in anxiety symptoms over the 10-week program. No differences were noted on Community Walkers’ measures of physical health.
Conclusion: Inclusive walking programs are a valuable and promising mechanism for building social connections and inclusion and improving mental health for adults with intellectual disabilities.
References
World Health Organization. Disability and health. (2021). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health.
Okoro CA, Hollis ND, Cyrus AC, Griffin-Blake S. Prevalence of disabilities and health care access by disability status and type among adults—the United States, 2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2018; 67(32): 882. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6732a3
Krahn GL, Fox MH. Health disparities of adults with intellectual disabilities: what do we know? What do we do? J Appl Res Intellect Disabil 2014; 27(5): 431-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12067
Anderson LL, Larson SA, MapelLentz S, Hall-Lande J. A systematic review of US studies on the prevalence of intellectual or developmental disabilities since 2000. Intellect Dev Disabil 2019; 57(5): 421-38. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-57.5.421
Schalock RL, Borthwick-Duffy SA, Bradley VJ, et al. Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED509596
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. 2013.
Ouellette‐Kuntz H. Understanding health disparities and inequities faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil 2005; 18(2): 113-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3148.2005.00240.x
Anderson LL, Humphries K, McDermott S, Marks B, Sisirak J, Larson S. The state of the science of health and wellness for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Intellect Dev Disabil 2013; 51(5): 385-98. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-51.5.385
McCarron M, McCallion P, Carroll R, Burke E, Cleary E, McCausland D, McGlinchy E, O’Donovan MA, Mulryan N, Shivers C. Advancing years, Different challenges: Wave 2 IDS-TILDA: findings on the ageing of people with an intellectual disability. The intellectual disability supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. 2014. https://www.lenus.ie/bitstream/handle/10147/333034/Wave2ReportOctober2014.pdf?sequence=1
Haveman M, Heller T, Lee L, Maaskant M, Shooshtari S, Strydom A. Major health risks in aging persons with intellectual disabilities: An overview of recent studies. J Policy Pract Intellect Disabil 2010; 7(1): 59-69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-1130.2010.00248.x
Cooper SA, Smiley E, Morrison J, Williamson A, Allan L. Mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities: Prevalence and associated factors. British J Psychiatry 2007; 190(1): 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.106.022483
Munir KM. The co-occurrence of mental disorders in children and adolescents with intellectual disability/intellectual developmental disorder. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2016; 29(2): 95. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000236
Stavrakaki C, Lunsky Y. Depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders in people with intellectual disabilities. Psychiatric and behavioural disorders in intellectual and developmental disabilities 2007; 113-30. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543616.008
Mansell J, Elliott T, Beadle-Brown J, Ashman B, Macdonald S. Engagement in meaningful activity and “active support” of people with intellectual disabilities in residential care. Res Dev Disabil 2002; 23(5): 342-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-4222(02)00135-X
Mahar AL, Cobigo V, Stuart H. Conceptualizing belonging. Disabil Rehabil 2013; 35(12): 1026-32. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2012.717584
Tucker EC, Jones JL, Gallus KL, Emerson SR, Manning-Ouellette AL. Let’s Take a Walk: Exploring intellectual disability as diversity in higher education. J Coll Character 2020; 21(3): 157-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2020.1781659
Anderson LL, MapelLentz SE, Hallas-Muchow L, Gulaid AA. Wellness Matters: Supporting health and wellness in adulthood. In: Hewitt AS, Nye-Lengerman KM (Eds.). Community Living and Participation for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 2019; pp. 169-86.
Asonitou K, Mpampoulis T, Irakleous-Paleologou H, Koutsouki D. Effects of an adapted physical activity program on physical fitness of adults with intellectual disabilities. Adv Phys Educ 2018; 8(3): 321-36. https://doi.org/10.4236/ape.2018.83028
Bouzas S, Martínez-Lemos RI, Ayán C. Effects of exercise on the physical fitness level of adults with intellectual disability: A systematic review. Disabil Rehabil 2019; 41(26): 3118-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1491646
Peterson JJ, Janz KF, Lowe JB. Physical activity among adults with intellectual disabilities living in community settings. Prev Med 2008; 47(1): 101-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.01.007
Dixon-Ibarra A, Lee M, Dugala A. Physical activity and se-dentary behavior in older adults with intellectual disabilities: A comparative study. Adapt Phys Act Q 2013; 30(1): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.30.1.1
Melville CA, Mitchell F, Stalker K, et al. Effectiveness of a walking programme to support adults with intellectual disabilities to increase physical activity: Walk well cluster-randomised controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys 2015; 12(1): 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0290-5
Matthews L, Mitchell F, Stalker K, et al. Process evaluation of the Walk Well study: A cluster-randomised controlled trial of a community based walking programme for adults with intellectual disabilities. BMC Public Health 2016; 16(1): 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3179-6
Thomson A, Bridges S, Corrins B, Pham J, White C, Buchanan A. The impact of physical activity and sport programs on community participation for people with intellectual disability: A systematic review. J Intellect Dev Disabil 2021; 46(3): 261-71. https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2020.1717070
Shogren KA, Wehmeyer ML, Singh NN. Introduction to positive psychology. In: Shogren K, Wehmeyer M, Singh N, editors. Handbook of positive psychology in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Springer series on child and family studies. Springer 2017; p. 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59066-0_1
Mindham J, Espie CA. Glasgow Anxiety Scale for people with an Intellectual Disability (GAS‐ID): Development and psychometric properties of a new measure for use with people with mild intellectual disability. J Intellect Disabil Res 2003; 47(1): 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00457.x
Cuthill FM, Espie CA, Cooper SA. Development and psychometric properties of the Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a learning disability: Individual and carer supplement versions. Br J Psychiatry 2003; 182(4): 347-53. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.182.4.347
Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS, Ullman JB. Using multivariate statistics. Boston, MA: Pearson; 2007.
Croy CD, Novins DK. Methods for addressing missing data in psychiatric and developmental research. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005; 44(12): 1230-40. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000181044.06337.6f
Son S, Jeon B, Kim H. Effects of a walking exercise program for obese individuals with intellectual disability staying in a residential care facility. J Phys Ther Sci 2016; 28(3): 788-93. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.788
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
