Self-Perceived Quality of Life and Physical Activity Levels Through Accelerometry in Young People with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? Young adults with intellectual disability showed significantly lower self-perceived quality of life—particularly in the social and environmental domains—and lower levels of light physical activity compared to their peers with no disability. No associations were found between accelerometer-measured physical activity and quality of life in the group with intellectual disability, whereas vigorous physical activity showed a positive association with the physical QoL domain in the group with no disability. What are the implications of the main findings? The absence of PA–QoL associations in young adults with intellectual disability suggests that the benefits of physical activity in this population may depend more on the quality, context, or social meaning of activities rather than on total activity volume. Targeted, inclusive physical activity programmes—supported by objective monitoring and adapted to individual needs—may help enhance social participation, environmental satisfaction, and overall quality of life in young adults with intellectual disability. Background: The relationship of objectively measured levels of physical activity (PA) to quality of life (QoL) in young adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) needs to be further researched. This study compares PA levels and self-perceived QoL in young adults with ID compared to those with no intellectual disability and examines whether higher levels of PA are related to better self-perceived QoL in the domains of physical, psychological, social and environmental well-being. Methods: A hundred young adults participated (GID: n = 50; GNID: n = 50). Demographic data were collected through questionnaires, and PA levels were measured using ActiGraph GT3X-BT accelerometers over a 7-day period. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life short questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). An independent samples t-test was used to examine differences between groups (GID and GNID), and correlations between PA variables and QoL variables were calculated intra-group. The statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The GID scored significantly lower in social (p = 0.001, d = 0.67), environmental (p = 0.007, d = 0.56) and total QoL (p = 0.015, d = 0.51) domains, and showed lower light PA (p = 0.042, d = 0.45). No significant PA–QoL correlations were found in the GID, while vigorous PA correlated positively with physical QoL in the GNID (rho = 0.35; p = 0.028). Conclusions: Self-perceived QoL values, as well as PA levels, are lower in young people with ID, with significant differences observed in the social and environmental domains, and in light PA. No associations were found between PA and QoL variables in the group of young people with IDs. Vigorous PA was significantly associated with the physical domain of QoL in the GNID.