How can care settings for people with intellectual disabilities embed health promotion?
Kristel Vlot-van Anrooij, Monique C J Koks-Leensen, Anneke van der Cruijsen and 5 others
PMID 32627935WHAT IT FOUND
People with intellectual disabilities and their support networks prioritized 'encouraging support' (29%) and a 'supportive network' (13%) as the most critical assets for healthy living.
Practical, visible help from staff was valued far more by clients than abstract organizational policies or environmental changes.
Key findings
01The clusters 'Encouraging support' and 'Supportive network' were ranked as the most important assets for physical activity and healthy nutrition, followed by health care, financial aspects, and home environment.
02Participants with intellectual disabilities focused on practical, visible assets like cooking lessons and accessible facilities, while proxy informants focused on abstract preconditions like organizational budgets and policy.
03Supportive networks were perceived as lacking essential prerequisites, specifically staff knowledge, time, and attention dedicated to healthy living.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Proxy informants were used for people with severe or profound intellectual disabilities, which may not truly reflect their own voices. The study was conducted in the Netherlands, so the specific organizational and cultural context of care providers may not translate directly to other countries. Participants found it difficult to rank ideas into a top five because many assets were interrelated, which may have affected the precision of the priority scores. The use of a pre-defined framework (HeSPID) risked steering the participants, although this was mitigated by an initial open discussion round.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that environmental changes or organizational policies are the primary drivers of health promotion for this population. The study shows that clients prioritize direct, practical support from their network ('Encouraging support') far above structural or policy-level changes.