JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a poorer health profile and higher mortality than in the general population. Young people with ID have more sedentary lifestyle compared to their typically developing peers. Increasing physical activity and eating a healthier diet has been argued as effective ways to improve the health of adolescents and young adults with ID. One viable option for improving health behaviors is to use digital interventions.

Objective:

This research protocol describes a co-design approach using workshops to develop a digital intervention that promotes healthy behaviors, e.g., physical activity and healthy diet, among adolescents and young adults with ID.

Methods:

A participatory design using a co-design approach will be applied as a strategy to include potential users of the digital intervention and other stakeholders in the research process, comprising research design, data collection and data analysis. A series of workshops (n=5-7) will be conducted aimed at developing a digital intervention, including procedures for assessing needs, facilitators, and barriers for health promotion, physical, mental, and social wellbeing, participation, and relationships. The workshops will include 12-18 stakeholders with experience of clinical practice and/or research related to young people with ID, relatives, as well as adolescents and young adults (aged 16-25) with mild to moderate ID. Participants will do a mix of individual work and work in the whole group using whiteboards, post-it notes, fibre pens, cards, balls, stickers, and wire-templates. Data analysis will take place concurrently with data collection, during an iterative process. Transcribed data from the audio and video recordings of the groups’ discussions will be analyzed following a qualitative methodological procedure.development.

Results:

Recruitment of participants started in April 2023. Data collection, analysis, and reporting will be completed in December 2023.

Conclusions:

This study will explore the effectiveness of workshops at gathering rich, reliable, and valid data in co-design with participants. This study will increase the knowledge in how to use technology to develop novel, evidence-based, and scalable interventions that adolescents and young adults with ID can and want to use to motivate physical activity and a healthier diet.