Yoga for Functional Fitness in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a skill-based lifestyle intervention for enhancing cooking abilities and physical fitness in young adults with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often experience poorer diet quality and lower physical fitness levels as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess the initial feasibility and efficacy of Chef-ID, a 12-week intervention designed to improve cooking skills and physical function in young adults with ID.

METHODS

Young adults with ID attended weekly group sessions which provided hands-on cooking skills, nutrition education, and exercise. Participants were also asked to attend monthly, virtual, goal setting sessions. Feasibility outcomes included attendance, retention, and safety. Preliminary efficacy outcomes included cooking skills, lower body muscle strength, grip strength, aerobic capacity, and body weight. Paired t-tests were used to assess the differences in cooking skills, strength measures, aerobic capacity, and weight after the 12-week intervention.

RESULTS

Study retention was 95 %, attendance exceeded 85 % for all sessions, and no serious adverse events were reported. The number of cooking skills participants could do independently (p = 0.005), the number of cooking skills requiring only a verbal prompt (p = 0.01) and lower body strength (p = 0.004) significantly improved across the 12-week intervention. The number of cooking skills participants had no exposure to (p = 0.01) and weight (p = 0.036) significantly decreased across the intervention. No significant changes were observed for upper body strength or aerobic capacity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Chef-ID intervention was feasible with desirable initial effects on cooking skill independence, exposure to cooking skills, lower body strength, and weight. The Chef-ID intervention holds promise in enhancing cooking skills and physical function among young adults with ID.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05385016.

Yoga for Healthy Aging: Science or Hype?

Yoga, one of the world’s oldest health systems is receiving new attention for claims that it can contribute to healthy aging. Until recently, scientific evidence for its efficacy has relied heavily on small and poorly-designed research, but this is changing. Multiple, well-designed studies provide data showing that yoga practice has positive effects on cellular aging, mobility, balance, mental health, and prevention of cognitive decline—all areas of concern for older adults. Since the cost of implementing yoga-based community and home-based interventions is low—policymakers are also eyeing yoga practice as a cost-effective way to reduce medical costs and improve outcomes among a growing aging population. This commentary reviews the evidence for both physical and mental health benefits from yoga, as well as concerns about injuries that have been associated with certain types of yoga practice. It reveals a surprising range of yoga programs and difficulty levels that provide opportunities for almost anyone to participate and gain health benefits with practice.