Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with intellectual disability are less physically active and more sedentary than typically developing peers. To date no studies have tested the feasibility of a school-based walking intervention for children with Intellectual Disability.
METHOD: A clustered randomised controlled trial (cRCT), with an embedded process evaluation, was used to test the feasibility of a school-based walking intervention. Eight schools (n = 161 pupils aged 9-13 years) were randomised into either an intervention arm or an 'exercise as usual' arm. Measures included physical activity, physical fitness and emotional wellbeing. Baseline and 3-month follow-up data were collected.
RESULTS: The 'Walk Buds' intervention was found to be acceptable to teaching staff and pupils, with an uptake rate of the walking sessions offered of 84%.
CONCLUSION: A number of challenges were experienced, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and difficulties collecting accelerometer data. Barriers, facilitators and required changes identified through the mixed methods process evaluation are discussed.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | e13260 |
Pages (from-to) | e13260 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 27 Jun 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 1 Sept 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords
- clustered RCT
- Feasibility
- Fidelity
- intellectual disability
- school-based
- walking intervention
- Physical Fitness/physiology
- Humans
- Male
- Mental Health
- Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation
- Feasibility Studies
- COVID-19
- Walking/physiology
- Exercise
- Adolescent
- Female
- School Health Services
- Child
- fidelity
- school‐based
- feasibility