Supporting adults with intellectual disability to lead active lives

Only 1 in 7 adults with intellectual disability meet the recommended physical activity guidelines. In contrast, around 1 in 2 adults in the general population are sufficiently active. This stark inequality highlights an urgent need for change.

The benefits of physical activity are undeniable. Decades of high-quality evidence confirm its powerful role in preventing chronic disease, supporting mental wellbeing, and improving quality of life. Yet current healthcare models do not adequately support adults with intellectual disability to be active.

Why is this the case?

The barriers are complex and multifactorial. Adults with intellectual disability and their families are often left to navigate a maze of health, disability, and sport and recreation systems that don’t communicate or coordinate effectively. The result is limited access to suitable and inclusive physical activity opportunities.

To change this we need a new approach. An approach that aligns with the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability and bridges this gap.

A new solution: Physical activity navigator program

A/Prof Leanne Hassett and her team have received over $2 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to co-design, implement, and evaluate a cross-sector physical activity navigator program for adults with intellectual disability.

This model builds on the success of patient navigator programs, which originated in cancer care to support marginalised populations. These programs help people access services and overcome barriers through education, tailored support, and in some cases, counselling.

The proposed physical activity navigator program will use co-design and implementation science methods to deliver a program that focuses on sustainability and scalability across three sectors (health, disability, community sport and recreation).

It will also involve allied health students, embedding training into their curriculum to build a future workforce that understands how to support adults with intellectual disability to be active.

Partnering with colleagues at La Trobe, Monash and Melbourne Universities, Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability, and also partner organisations Inclusion Australia, Down Syndrome Victoria and Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia, this 4-year project will be conducted across NSW and Victoria.

The team

The team brings together expertise in:

• Co-design and implementation science

• Curriculum development

• Rigorous evaluation of physical activity interventions

• Disability sport and recreation programs and policies

• And importantly, the team includes lived experience of disability, ensuring the program is shaped by the voices of those it is designed to support.

This project aims to break down some of the barriers that prevent adults with intellectual disability from leading active, healthy lives, and create a system that enables lasting change.

Hassett L, Shields N, Cole J, Hamdorf P, Smith B, Nisbet G, Lawler K, Sherrington C, Fornusek C, Smith-Merry J, Haynes A, Allen N, Glinsky J, Pearce L, Mckenzie G (CIs); Milat A, Pinheiro M, Owen K, Hassett J, Carey J, Torr J, Deane K (AIs); Inclusion Australia, Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia, Down Syndrome Victoria (Partners). Co-designing and evaluating a cross-sector physical activity navigator program for adults with intellectual disability. 2024 MRFF Improving the Health Outcomes of People with Intellectual Disability Grant Round. 01/06/2025-31/08/2029

Written by Courtney West and A/Prof Leanne Hassett