The health effects of 14 weeks of physical activity in a real-life setting for adults with intellectual disabilities

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have a reduced physical health compared to the general population, and one of the main contributors is inactivity. Aim: To investigate how 14 weeks of physical activity (PA) in a real-life setting affects cardiovascular fitness, body composition and bone health of adults with ID. Methods: Adults with ID were recruited into a PA-group or a control group (CON). The PA-group participated in 14 weeks of PA. Body composition, cardiovascular fitness and bone health were assessed before and after the intervention. Outcomes & results: Cardiovascular fitness and body composition improved from pre to post within the PA-group: Heart rates (HR) during the last 30 seconds of two increments of a treadmill test, were reduced (3.2 km/h: -4.4 bpm, p<0.05; 4.8 km/h: -7.5 bpm, p<0.001) and fat mass was reduced (-1.02 kg, p<0.05). Between-group differences in favour of the PA-group, were observed in whole body bone mineral density (BMD) (0.024 g/cm2, p<0.05) and in BMD of the left femur neck (0.043 g/cm2, p<0.05). Conclusions & Implications: Fourteen weeks of PA increase cardiovascular fitness, reduced fat mass and improved BMD in the weight-bearing skeleton in the PA-group. Increased and regular PA seems to be a promising tool to promote physical health in adults with ID.