European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 18, 12 (2025) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2025.003

I feel more able, livelier, and stronger: Perceptions of adults with intellectual disability after a web-based physical activity intervention

Elisabeth Hansen Tømmerbakken1,2 *, Jessica Hölttä1, SannaFjellström1, Eva Flygare Wallén3,4, Mats Jong1,7, Marie Lund Ohlsson1,5
1 Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Winter Sport Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden.
2 Faculty of Education and Arts, Nord University, Bodø, Norway.
3 Department for Disability Support, Municipality of Östersund, Sweden
4 Department for Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
5 Swedish School of Health and Sport Sciences (GIH), Department of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics

A 12-week web-based physical activity (PA) intervention was designed based on the World Health Organisation’s (2020) guidelines, to promote PA for adults with intellectual disability (ID) and create an alternative way to participate in PA during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore how the participants perceived PA and health in general, and how these perceptions were affected by participation in the web-based PA intervention. The study was conducted with a pragmatic qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews pre- and post-intervention. Twenty-eight individuals in Sweden participated in the intervention, and seventeen of these were interviewed. The analysis revealed two key themes. Theme 1, "a sense of being ‘stuck on the couch’” encapsulated the participants' pre-intervention experiences and included the subthemes of "inactive lifestyle", "understanding health benefits from PA", and "feeling unwell and out of shape". Theme 2, "motivation to enjoy ‘the ride of’ a web-based PA program" captured the participants' post-intervention experiences, including the subthemes of "feeling healthier", "social support", "mastering or not", and "multifactorial individual needs". This study highlights the potential of web-based PA as an accessible tool that meets the individual needs and promotes participation, motivation and enjoyment among adults with ID.

Keywords: adapted physical activity; health promotion; intellectual impairment; physical inactivity; sedentary lifestyle; web-based exercise

Received: July 3, 2023; Revised: December 8, 2024; Accepted: February 7, 2025; Published online: August 10, 2026  Show citation

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Hansen Tømmerbakken, E., Hölttä, J., SannaFjellström,, Wallén, E.F., Jong, M., & Lund Ohlsson, M. (2025). I feel more able, livelier, and stronger: Perceptions of adults with intellectual disability after a web-based physical activity intervention. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 18, Article 12. https://doi.org/10.5507/euj.2025.003
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