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Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience high rates of lifestyle related morbidities, in part due to lack of access to tailored health promotion programmes. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a tailored healthy lifestyle intervention, Get Healthy! Methods: Get Healthy! is a 12-week physical activity and healthy eating programme designed to address lifestyle-related risks for adults with mild-moderate ID. The feasibility pilot was designed to assess subjective participant experience and programme feasibility across: recruitment and screening, retention, session attendance and engagement, adverse events, and practicality and reliability of outcome procedures. Exploratory programme efficacy was assessed across the following measures: anthropometry (body mass index, weight, waist circumference), cardiovascular fitness, physical strength, dietary intake, healthy literacy, and quality of life. Results: Six participants with moderate ID and two carer participants completed the feasibility trial, representing a 100% retention rate. Qualitative data indicated the programme was well received. Participants with ID attended 75% of sessions offered and displayed a high level of engagement in sessions attended (91% mean engagement score). While most data collection procedures were feasible to implement, several measures were either not feasible for our participants, or required a higher level of support to implement than was provided in the existing trial protocol. Participants with ID displayed decreases in mean waist circumference between baseline and endpoint (95% CI: − 3.20, − 0.17 cm) and some improvements in measures of cardiovascular fitness and physical strength. No changes in weight, body mass index, or objectively measured knowledge of nutrition and exercise or quality of life were detected from baseline to programme endpoint. Dietary intake results were mixed. Discussion: The Get Healthy! programme was feasible to implement and well received by participants with moderate ID and their carers. Exploratory efficacy data indicates the programme has potential to positively impact important cardiometabolic risk factors such as waist circumference, cardiovascular fitness, and physical strength. Several of the proposed data collection instruments will require modification or replacement prior to use in a sufficiently powered efficacy trial. Trial registration: ACTRN: ACTRN12618000349246. Registered March 8th 2018—retrospectively registered, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374497 UTN: U1111-1209–3132. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older Australians with intellectual disabilities experience high rates of lifestyle-related illness, yet generally have poor diets and participate in limited physical activity. Eliciting the perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities and support workers may inform interventions to support healthy lifestyles. A semi-structured focus group question framework was developed to investigate participants' experiences of barriers and enablers of physical activity and healthy eating. Data from focus groups with paid support workers (n = 6) and people with intellectual disabilities (n = 8) aged 60 + years were analysed within this framework. Similarities and differences between perspectives were explored. Both groups perceived decreased physical activity as an inevitable aspect of ageing. Health problems and environmental constraints were also identified. Embedding physical activity into daily routines, providing choices, and viewing exercise as beneficial, were highlighted as enablers across groups. Support workers, but not people with intellectual disabilities, identified barriers to healthy eating including use of "junk" food to manage behaviour and lack of message consistency between care providers. Financial and human resource barriers were also highlighted by support workers. Both carers and people with intellectual disabilities may benefit from specialised support to adapt healthy lifestyle interventions for people as they age. Behavioural management strategies unrelated to food should be promoted. Organisational and policy-level commitment are needed to ensure that healthy lifestyle programs are adequately resourced to meet the needs of the ageing population with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older adults with intellectual disability have high rates of lifestyle-related illness yet remain poorly engaged in physical activity and nutrition interventions. There is a need to clarify what types of healthy lifestyle interventions are feasible and effective to implement in this population and how outcome measures can best be tracked. This paper describes the pilot feasibility study protocol for implementing a 12-week physical activity and healthy eating program, ‘Get Healthy!’ with older adults with intellectual disability. Methods: The primary study aims are to assess the feasibility of implementing and monitoring the ‘Get Healthy!’ program with adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability, aged 40 years and over, and their carers. Secondary study aims are to assess the impact of the intervention across the following parametres: body mass index, waist circumference, cardiovascular fitness, physical activity (amount and intensity) and sedentary behaviours, resting blood pressure, functional strength/capacity, dietary intake (energy intake, food group consumption and diet quality), dietary and physical activity knowledge, and quality of life. Between 8 and 10 participants in total will be recruited into the 12-week program that will be run in metropolitan NSW, Australia. A combination of objective and subjective measures will be used to assess program feasibility and impact at set timepoints (baseline, mid and end-program). Discussion: Results from the feasibility pilot will be used to refine the study methodology and ‘Get Healthy!’ program content for future use in a sufficiently powered trial. Findings may be of interest to a broad range of disability and allied health workers engaged in supporting and monitoring healthy lifestyle change in adults with intellectual disability. Trial registration: ACTRN: ACTRN12618000349246. Registered March 8, 2018- Retrospectively registered, UTN: U1111-1209-3132. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]