Factors associated with direct support professionals' behaviour in the physical activity support provided to people with intellectual disabilities.
L W M Bossink, A A J van der Putten, M C S Paap and 1 others
PMID 30945358WHAT IT FOUND
Direct support professionals who had physical activity training, worked in activity centres, or had physical activity plans for everyone they supported reported greater ability, opportunities, or motivation to help people with intellectual disabilities be active.
Characteristics of supported people did not explain the scores.
Key findings
01Additional training in physical activity support was associated with 0.56 point higher capability and 0.47 point higher motivation scores.
02Working in an activity centre rather than a living unit was associated with 0.58 point higher capability, 0.71 point higher opportunity, and 0.56 point higher motivation scores.
03Physical activity plans for all supported people were associated with 0.37 point higher capability and 0.40 point higher opportunity scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show that training, activity-centre work, or physical activity plans caused higher capability, opportunity, or motivation. The sample was recruited by convenience sampling from 26 healthcare organisations, not by random selection, and may not represent other settings. The outcomes were self-reported scores from professionals about a group they supported. Participants were asked to think about the whole group they supported, so the study could not analyse the influence of gender or individual-level characteristics of the people supported. The motivation or preferences of people with intellectual disabilities were not included in the analysis. Work experience was excluded from the final models because it was interdependent with age, so the separate role of experience could not be fully tested. Internal support from a physical therapist or movement therapist was linked to scores when examined on its own, but not after other factors were considered.
Declared interests
No external funding was received, and the authors reported no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that training, activity-centre work, or physical activity plans improve physical activity support. This was a cross-sectional self-report study, so it only shows associations at one time and cannot establish cause.