Leisure-time physical activity and all-cause mortality among adults with intellectual disability: the National Health Interview Survey

Background Adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared with the general population, necessitating a need to identify modifiable targets for intervention to mitigate risk. While the benefits of leisure-time physical activity (PA) are well established in the general population; there is a dearth of evidence confirming its health benefits among adults with IDs. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between leisure-time PA and all-cause mortality among a population-based sample of adults with IDs. Methods A total of 413 adults with IDs from 17 waves (1997-2014) of the National Health Interview Survey, a U.S. nationally representative survey, were studied. Minutes per week of leisure-time PA was ascertained by self-report and classified as poor, intermediate or ideal levels of PA. Results Over a median follow-up of 7.2 years, 60 participants died. In a multivariable-adjusted model, higher levels of leisure-time PA were dose-dependently associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (P-trend = 0.008). The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for all-cause mortality comparing participants with intermediate and ideal versus poor levels of PA were 0.43 (0.18, 1.04) and 0.30 (0.10, 0.87), respectively. Conclusion These findings show that leisure-time PA confers mortality benefit in adults with IDs and should be considered as a priority target for promoting health and longevity in this population.