Development of a Dutch Training/Education Program for a Healthy Lifestyle of People With Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) need support from direct support professionals (DSPs) to engage in a healthy lifestyle. However, literature shows DSPs feel insufficiently equipped to support a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a theory-based program for DSPs to support physical activity and healthy nutrition for people with moderate to profound levels of ID, and to design its evaluation. The Intervention Mapping Protocol (IM) was followed to develop a theory-based program for DSPs. The program evaluation consists of process and feasibility evaluations. This study provided a theory-based program consisting of a training and education section with online and face-to-face components to support DSPs in promoting health for people with ID.

Association of COVID-19-Related Restrictions With Changes in Functional Skills of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities in Day Programs of an Israeli Non-Profit Organization

“…While this assumption is well documented in childhood research and thus, children receive more adequate intensive personalized health care services (Cogswell et al, 2022), there is not enough evidence-based research regarding the benefits of such programs during adulthood, especially for those with severe/profound (S/P) ID (Baker-Ericzén et al, 2022; Singer et al, 2017). Severe neurological, communicative, physical, medical, and behavioral functioning challenges are typical for adults with ID (e.g., Ben David et al, 2022a; Doyle et al, 2021; Hanley et al, 2022), who may need different levels of assistance in their daily routines (Hilgenkamp et al, 2022). Therefore, this group requires regular reassessment and continuous adaptation of suggested therapeutic interventions that may be much more challenging at the S/P levels (Doyle et al, 2021; Wessels et al, 2022).…”