Natural Setting Interventions to Increase Physical Activity Level in Older Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Disability Studies
• Public Health

Background:

• Older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) often experience lower physical activity (PA) levels.
• Promoting PA is crucial for the health and well-being of this population.
• Natural settings offer potential environments for PA interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effectiveness of natural setting interventions for increasing PA in older adults (≥40 years) with ID.
• To identify research gaps and guide future intervention development.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
• Included studies focused on PA interventions in natural settings for older adults with ID.
• Eight articles (4 group, 4 single-case designs) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Most studies reported small, positive changes in PA levels.
• Significant heterogeneity in interventions, samples, and outcome measures was observed.
• The quality and risk of bias varied, limiting generalizability of findings.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests potential benefits of natural setting interventions for PA in older adults with ID.
• There is a critical need for higher-quality research with robust methodologies.
• Further research should focus on optimizing intervention design and evaluation in real-world settings.