Needs of Direct Support Professionals to Support People With Intellectual Disabilities in Leading a Healthy Lifestyle

Background For a healthy lifestyle, people with moderate, severe, and profound intellectual disabilities living in residential facilities and/or participating in day activity centers are dependent on their direct support professionals. However, it is unclear what knowledge and skills these direct support professionals require to support these individuals in living a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the needs of direct support professionals for supporting these people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Method Direct support professionals (n = 28) were interviewed with the use of a semi-structured protocol based on the theoretical domains framework. The interviews were analyzed with a theory-driven content analysis. Results The most frequently mentioned needs referred to the following domains of the theoretical domains framework: environmental context and resources (n = 27), social/professional role and identity (n = 25), social influence (n = 25), skills (n = 24), and knowledge (n = 23). Conclusion To support people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities in leading a healthy lifestyle, direct support professionals (DSPs) primarily needed support related to the domain environmental context and resources. Within this domain available time, dealing with different seasons, and a healthy lifestyle policy in the organization need attention. Development of interventions targeting these DSPs needs is required

Use of behaviour change techniques by direct support professionals to support healthy lifestyle behaviour for people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities

Background Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can be employed to support a healthy lifestyle for people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study is to determine whether and which BCTs are used by direct support professionals (DSPs) for supporting healthy lifestyle behaviour of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities. Method Direct support professionals (n = 18) were observed in their daily work using audio-visual recordings. To code BCTs, the Coventry Aberdeen London Refined (CALO-RE-NL) taxonomy was employed. Results Direct support professionals used 33 BCTs out of 42. The most used BCTs were as follows: 'feedback on performance', 'instructions on how to perform the behaviour', 'doing together', 'rewards on successful behaviour', 'reward effort towards behaviour', 'DSP changes environment', 'graded tasks', 'prompt practice' and 'model/demonstrate behaviour'. Conclusions Although a variety of BCTs is used by DSPs in their support of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities when facilitating healthy lifestyle behaviour, they rely on nine of them

Use of behaviour change techniques by direct support professionals to support healthy lifestyle behaviour for people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities

Background: Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can be employed to support a healthy lifestyle for people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study is to determine whether and which BCTs are used by direct support professionals (DSPs) for supporting healthy lifestyle behaviour of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities. Method: Direct support professionals (n = 18) were observed in their daily work using audio-visual recordings. To code BCTs, the Coventry Aberdeen London Refined (CALO-RE-NL) taxonomy was employed. Results: Direct support professionals used 33 BCTs out of 42. The most used BCTs were as follows: ‘feedback on performance’, ‘instructions on how to perform the behaviour’, ‘doing together’, ‘rewards on successful behaviour’, ‘reward effort towards behaviour’, ‘DSP changes environment’, ‘graded tasks’, ‘prompt practice’ and ‘model/demonstrate behaviour’. Conclusions: Although a variety of BCTs is used by DSPs in their support of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities when facilitating healthy lifestyle behaviour, they rely on nine of them

Gastles minor Healthy Ageing. Ondersteunen van een gezonde leefstijl. Stimuleren van mensen met een matige tot (zeer) ernstige VB (gedragsveranderingstechnieken)

Gastles in de MBO-HBO-WO minor Healthy Ageing Hanzehogeschoo

What do direct support professionals need to support a healthy lifestyle?

Presenting the results of support needs of DSPs

Gastles kick-off ALC’s: Ondersteunen van een gezonde leefstijl voor mensen met een matige tot (zeer) ernstige VB

Gastles ALC's 2e jaars studenten Pedagogische Wetenschappen RuG

Lifestyle Opportunities:: supporting a healthy lifestyle of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities

People with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities (ID) have a higher risk of health problems and, therefore, healthy living is of great importance for them. To achieve this, this group requires support from the people around them such as relatives and direct support professionals (DSPs). However, DSPs do not feel sufficiently equipped to provide this support. The objective of Annelies Overwijk’s research was to determine how to facilitate a healthy lifestyle for people with moderate to profound ID by improving the lifestyle support provided by DSPs. To this end, DSPs’ support needs were first explored after which a training and education program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. In this thesis, DSPs indicated that they need knowledge and skills to provide lifestyle support. One of the skills they can help use to stimulate people with ID is the use of behavioral change techniques. This thesis shows that, although a number of these techniques are used in daily practice, they are not yet consciously utilized to improve lifestyle support. Since the attitude of DSPs to support healthy nutrition is important, a practical questionnaire was also developed to measure this. Based on DSPs’ support needs for encouraging a healthy lifestyle, a training and education program was developed together with them and experts. This program consists of an e-learning and three in-person sessions that can be adapted to the support needs of the DSPs and the team and proved to be promising in an implementation study. The products are free and available on: www.dekrachtengebundeld.nl

Gastles minor Healthy Ageing. Ondersteunen van een gezonde leefstijl. Stimuleren van mensen met een matige tot (zeer) ernstige VB (gedragsveranderingstechnieken)

Gastles in de MBO-HBO-WO minor Healthy Ageing Hanzehogeschoo