Qualitative exploration of the physical activity engagement among college students with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Higher education institutions today have offered a range of postsecondary transition programs for adults with .intellectual disabilities (ID). Applying the social-ecological framework, this study was aimed to analyze qualitative data about the experiences and perceptions of physical activity (PA) among eight college students with ID at a post-secondary transition program in the United States. The phenomenological approach was utilized to describe participants’ lifeworld experience of PA. Results indicated that the most PA opportunities on campus merely derived from the availability of adapted programs. Only one participant met the minimum requirement of engaging moderate-intensity exercise weekly. Based on the analysis using the social-ecological framework, the results include twelve themes at the intrapersonal level (self-efficacy, personality, emotion, past experiences, knowledge, and time), interpersonal level (family support and friend support), and institutional level (specifically, university recreation center, available adapted programs, adverse weather, and COVID effect) that influenced their PA participation. The current transition program seemed to promote sedentary behaviors during school hours. Strategies to enhance PA engagement for this population should include increasing students and parents’ knowledge of PA and health, providing adequate social support from college mentors and more adapted PA opportunities and alternative options on campus. These recommendations could boost PA self-efficacy and overcome barriers at multiple levels in students with ID.

Keywords:

• intellectual disabilities
• qualitative method
• social-ecological model
• adapted physical activity
• transition

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Jianzhong Xu for his consultation on manuscript preparation and using NVivo software.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.