A Structural Equation Model of the relationship between physical activity and quality of life

Abstract

Background/Objective: Literature shows that practicing physical activity improves the general health and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. However, there is little empirical research on the specific benefits physical activity provides and to what extent these benefits occur. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of perceptions of physical activity and the individualized support on each of eight quality of life-related domains and three higher-order quality of life factors. Method: The sample consisted of adults with intellectual disability (n = 529), their assigned professionals (n = 522), and a family member (n = 462). Most participants attended day and residential services, and we applied the Personal Outcomes Scale and the Support Needs and Strategies for Physical Activity Scale to all of them. Results: The structural model parameter estimation showed high values, especially for the factor of well-being. These data allowed us to confirm that perceptions of physical and individualized supports in the field of physical activity act as predictors of quality of life improvement. Conclusions: The results suggest that organizations devoted to enhancing personal outcomes should include physical activity in their programs, and revise both their own services and the use of physical activity resources available in the community.

Basic Psychological Needs and Sports Satisfaction Among Brazilian Athletes and Coaches: The Mediating Role of the Dyadic Relationship

“…Such evidence is supported by the micro theory of Basic Psychological Needs (Deci and Ryan, 2012), which states that social environments conducted by significant persons (such as teachers, coaches, parents) favor the satisfaction of athletes’ basic needs for providing them with psychological experiences that positively affect their motivation and performance (Balaguer et al, 2012; Deci et al, 2013; González et al, 2015). In contrast, poorly adapted environments can frustrate the need of youngsters and consequently lower their participation in sports and sense of personal fulfilment, in addition to generate both emotional and physical fatigue (Bartholomew et al, 2011; Gurrola et al, 2016).…”

Intellectual disability, exercise and aging: the IDEA study: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…In the present trial we will also evaluate qualitative parameters such as QoL and cognitive and emotional aspects of participants with ID. We consider that QoL in seniors with ID is a very important parameter, which is influenced by PA and sports practice [86,87]. Beside the positive effects on QoL, PA may also improve cognitive and emotional aspects in people with ID, as previous studies have shown after implementing dance programs [64,88].…”

Development and validation of a Quality of Life Scale for elementary school students

“…We look forward to having larger samples for testing and retesting, which would allow for greater consistency in similar studies in the future. Furthermore, we did not examine the influence of the family's socioeconomic status, physical activity and cross culture data (Carbó-Carreté, Guàrdia-Olmos, Giné, & Schalock, 2016); all such factors may affect fifth and sixth graders’ QoL. Hence, we recommend that future studies on the ESQoL scale consider these additional variables.…”