Lifestyle Behaviours
Understanding the capabilities, opportunities and motivations for walking
Walking is a free form of physical activity that is associated with a wide range of physical and mental health benefits. So far, walking interventions have had limited effectiveness when trying to increase uptake among adults with learning disabilities. It is important to fully understand this behaviour to develop successful interventions. This project will apply a theoretical framework to explore capabilities, opportunities and motivations of adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities living in the Greater Glasgow area. This will then go on to inform the development of a theory based walking programme to increase physical activity and improve wellbeing. Find out more about this project.
Active play in children with intellectual disabilities
Many children with intellectual disabilities are inactive, which poses numerous health risks. Children with intellectual disabilities can also have lower motor and social skills, compared to typically developing children, which can directly impact children’s activity levels and reduce activity-related confidence and enjoyment. Therefore, it is essential to identify new ways to increase activity that overcomes these barriers. Active play is an evolving method that promotes activity through play and supports the development of essential motor and social skills.
Read about the project here.
Energy expenditure in adults with intellectual disabilities
Adults with intellectual disabilities spend a greater percentage of their day sedentary (64.2 ─ 87.9 %), in comparison to the general population. Given the high prevalence of preventable disease in adults with intellectual disabilities, sedentary behaviour poses a greater health risk to this population group, making this is an important lifestyle behaviour to target and change. However, little is known about the energy expenditure of sedentary behaviours in adults with intellectual disabilities. This results in numerous gaps in our knowledge relating to lifestyle behaviour change research, e.g. weight management and physical activity. Therefore, better understanding of the underlying physiology of sedentary behaviour will help inform the development of interventions to reduce sedentary behaviours. Read about this project here.
My Diabetes and Me Study
People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. They tend to develop it at a younger age and are less likely to have access to appropriate education that would help them to manage their condition.
Read about this project here.