A 6-Week Virtual Exercise/Dance Program Impacts Fitness Levels for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities:

Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience age-related diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity much earlier than their typical peers.Therefore, health promotion is essential in this population. 1This population tends to live sedentary lives; exercise needs to be a focus.Exercise positively impacts survival rates for those with ID. 2 Motivation and support are vital factors to successfully incorporate exercise into their lives.Prevalent barriers are a lack of access to health promotion programs, support, and transportation.Creating virtual programming with exercise and support can fill this gap.The implementation of a 6-week virtual exercise/dance program with music as a motivator Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project, enabled adults with ID to participate in physical activity resulting in improved cardiovascular and muscular fitness using Standing Long Jump (SLJ) and 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) as measures.No improvement was noted in Body Mass Index measurements.Doi: 10.32481/djph.2024.03.11 do recommend physical activity to adults with disabilities, they are 82% more likely to comply than if the doctor does not give recommendations.Additionally, the CDC (2021) recognizes five steps to address physical activity with adults with disabilities. 10These steps include: remembering everyone should follow the Physical Activity Guidelines; inquiring about the individual's physical activity; talking about barriers, giving options for physical activity, and referring them to available resources and programs.Further, the CDC ( 2021) gives examples of programming across the country that targets this population to improve their weight and physical activity. 10The Alabama Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield Alabama, and the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability collaborated on a 10-week campaign promoting healthy weight and physical activity.The Michigan Department of Community Health partnered with the Michigan Arthritis Program to increase access with their EnhanceFitness program, which focuses on adults with developmental, cognitive, and mobility disabilities.The South Carolina Research Foundation partners with the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and Able-SC to promote healthy living through its Steps to Your Health program.Person-centered care can be provided when the provider has time to get to know and understand the individual with ID. 10 Providers should learn the individual's likes, dislikes, and ideas they want for their life.Therefore, by equipping providers with the knowledge to effectively communicate and care for these individuals, fear and frustration regarding health plans can be prevented, and a more positive attitude will prevail to encourage health promotion activities.As a result, this population may experience an enhanced quality of life through physical activity. 1,11urther, community health care providers can significantly reduce the health disparities adults with ID face by helping them overcome barriers and access health care programs.Since there is a lack of accessible programming for individuals with ID, states need to recognize the need for creating physical activity opportunities.Through collaboration, entities that understand the needs of this population can develop quality programs to reach more people with disabilities.Health promotion with support is vital for people with intellectual disabilities (ID).This DNP project aimed to improve BMI, muscular fitness, and cardiovascular fitness in adults with ID using exercise and dance with music as a motivator.Through consistent participation, weight loss could have also been a benefit for some, in addition to developing the healthy habit of incorporating exercise into daily life.