Family members and health care workers' perspectives on motivational factors of participation in physical activity for people with intellectual disability: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have lower levels of physical activity than the general population. The aim of this study was to understand the motivational factors of participation in physical activity for people with ID from the perspectives of the family members and staff. Method An abductive qualitative design was used. Social Cognitive Theory constituted the theoretical frame of reference of the study. Two focus group interviews with health care workers and family members and two individual interviews with health care workers were conducted at their workplace. A thematic analysis was performed. Results Three main themes were identified. According to support persons, motivation could be promoted at the individual level by fun, mastery, social setting, technology and knowledge about health behaviours. At a contextual level, physical activity was mediated by engagement with support individuals and available resources. At an interactional level, individuals were more motivated if the interaction was featured by joint activities, predictability and the use of rewards. Conclusions Motivation for participation in physical activity might be promoted at the individual, contextual and interactional levels. The interactions between individuals with ID and their support persons should work in a supportive way and strengthen mastery experiences. Support and engagement in the context could serve as a prerequisite for motivation and participation in physical activity and should be considered when developing interventions for physical activity for individuals with ID.

Physical Activity With Tailored mHealth Support for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…This randomized controlled trial is part of our project to develop a tailored mHealth support system that promotes PA in individuals with IDs [ 38 ]. In previous parts of the project, we conducted a qualitative study on motivation for participation in PA for individuals with IDs [ 21 ], held workshops and collaborated with mHealth developers, and performed usability tests. This process is illustrated in Figure 1 .…”

“…Findings from previous studies indicate that a more flexible approach [ 19 ], greater use of theory in intervention design, stronger research design (as there are few randomized controlled studies), and better translation of interventions to community-based settings [ 20 ] are needed. Future studies could also have an ecological approach, where the interplay between individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors are considered [ 1 , 21 ]. Motivational issues have been challenging, particularly for approaches that aim for sustainable effects [ 17 ], and should be considered when designing future PA interventions.…”

“…Methods that could facilitate the development of individualized mHealth support solutions include tailoring, individual goal setting [ 30 ], and adjusting communication to meet the specific needs of individuals with IDs [ 31 ]. Studies on motivation for PA in the IDs population have shown that predictability with routine and familiarity, communication of purpose, and enjoyable and social activities promote motivation and participation [ 21 , 32 ]. Family and care staff involvement will be central, and we expect the study’s implementation in a natural setting to enhance the effect [ 33 ].…”

“…The report states that these individuals have the right to be included in all PA programs. Thereby, the present study aims to examine the effectiveness of an individually tailored PA program with motivational mHealth support on everyday levels of PA in youth and adults with IDs, targeting individual, contextual, and interactional factors of PA participation [ 21 ]. In addition to higher levels of PA, we expect improvements in psychological health, self-efficacy in activities [ 32 ], and social support for physical activity participation [ 35 ].…”

Promoting Physical Activity in Group Home Settings: Staff Perspectives through a SWOT Analysis

“…Dixon-Ibarra [ 20 , 21 ] reported barriers (resident motivation, limited staff, negative support, and resident age) and facilitators (role modelling/encouraging, enjoyment). A recent qualitative study [ 22 ] focused on motivational factors of PA participation perceived by health care workers and family members; its findings suggested that engagement with contextual support is a prerequisite for higher motivation. Other research findings have indicated that the characteristics of the residents (e.g., physical and mental health, age, preference/motivation) could have impacted on the capability, motivation, and opportunity of the professional staff in rendering PA support for people with ID [ 16 ].…”