Impact of daytime routine modifications on people with severe intellectual disability amid COVID-19 pandemic

Bridging the gap: national virtual education programme for professionals caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the time of COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During this period of uncertainty and need for up-to-date information, various virtual training programmes demonstrated the role of tele-mentoring programmes.

AIM

The aim of this paper is to describe the educational evaluation of the National Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes - Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ECHO-AIDD), a programme for service providers working with adults with IDD during COVID-19.

METHOD

The programme consisted of six sessions, conducted weekly, over two cycles. Each session included didactic teaching by hub team members, COVID-19 news updates, wellness check-ins and a brief mindfulness activity, followed by a 30 to 45 min case-based discussion. The hub structure had an inter-professional approach to team expertise. Those with lived experience were an integral part of the content experts' hub. Pre-, post- and follow-up evaluation data were collected.

RESULTS

Care providers from health and social care sectors (n = 230) participated in the programme. High levels of engagement and satisfaction were reported. Self-efficacy ratings improved from pre- to post-, and were maintained at 8-week follow-up; improvement from pre- to post- was significant (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Exposure to National ECHO-AIDD educational intervention led to improvement in perceived competencies. This study also shows the valuable role of people with lived experience in fostering adaptive expertise in learners. The outreach and scalability support the feasibility of building a national virtual community of practice for IDD service providers. Future studies should focus on studying the impact of these programmes on the health outcomes of people with IDD.

The influence of meaningful activities in the quality of life and functional autonomy of adults with intellectual disability: A prospective study during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic might negatively impact the quality of life and functional autonomy of Spanish adults with intellectual disability, and meaningful activities could prevent this negative progression.

METHODS

This is a prospective cohort study in Spanish adults with intellectual disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quality of life, functional autonomy and functional independence were measured. The meaningful activities studied were structured-leisure, community self-management, and occupational and physical activities.

RESULTS

Seventy-three participants were included in the study. Quality of life and functional autonomy significantly deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic (all p > .001). Greater participation in community self-management activities before COVID-19 was associated with less detriment to quality of life (ß = -.312; p = .008), while greater participation in occupational and physical activities was associated with less detriment to the performance of instrumental activities (ß = -.317; p = .016; and ß = -.285; p = .030, respectively).

CONCLUSION

People with intellectual disability living in residential homes experienced a decrease in their quality of life and functional autonomy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their involvement in community self-management activities and physical and occupational activities before the pandemic had preventive effects on the detriment to the quality of life and functional autonomy.

Effects of COVID-19 related physical inactivity on motor skills in children with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) may show declines in motor skills during the Covid-19 restrictions. This study compared the effects of physical inactivity due to COVID-19 on the motor skills of active and inactive children with ID.

METHOD

In this prospective cohort study, 30 boys with ID were divided into two groups based on study inclusion criteria (mean age 10.86 ± 1.81 active, 10.20 ± 1.42 inactive). The BESS test, the Y test, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Bruininks-Oseretsky test-short form were used.

RESULTS

Results showed a significant difference between active and inactive groups in the total score of gross motor skills (P = 0.001), fine motor skills (P = 0.002), motor skills (P = 0.001), postural control (P = 0.01), and dynamic balance (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed a significant difference between active and inactive children with ID in terms of gross and fine motor skills after a one-year movement restriction. Therefore, considering the tendency to be sedentary among these people and the subsequent complications caused by this inactivity, including obesity and chronic diseases, it is suggested that parents and educators design practical and numerous exercises and encourage them to be more active and participate in physical activity programs.

Ethnocentrism Effects on Consumers’ Behavior during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has upset everyone’s normal daily activities, generating psychiatric disorders and changing consumers’ preferences. Among others, the agri-food sector has experienced strong changes and, during the lockdown period, Italian consumers modified their purchasing habits in response to the fear and uncertainty generated by the spread of the virus. In order to find out the main consequences of the shock suffered during the period and to understand which factors have affected purchasing choices, an online survey was conducted on 286 Italian consumers. The results show that ethnocentrism has been the factor that most has influenced consumers’ behavior during the lockdown period and that consumers will continue to prefer national agri-food products when pandemic will be over, constituting a deep change to future eating habits.