Healthcare professionals play an important role in positively impacting disabled people’s health and wellbeing through promoting physical activity. Take a look at the guidance and research below to help you support people with one or more disabilities to be active.

CMO's guidance

The Chief Medical Officer physical activity guidance for individuals living with disabilities, are similar to those for the general population, but with some flexibility and personalised recommendations. Adults with disabilities should aim for at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, or a combination of both. They should also aim to include muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week. Children and young people with disabilities should aim for 120-180 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic activity per week, which can be broken down into smaller chunks throughout the day, such as 20 minutes per day,

Physical Activity for Disabled Adults - infographic

Physical Activity for Children and Young People - infographic

Activity Alliance Research and Guidance

Activity Alliance commissioned Better Decisions Together to explore the role of healthcare professionals in supporting disabled people to be more physically active.

Some common themes emerged. Five key features of successful support included:

• Personalised support - understanding individual needs while conveying an informed clinical understanding of their impairment or condition.
• Trusted relationships - built on common ground, with professional who demonstrated condition-specific clinical knowledge.A multi-disciplinary approach which reinforced positive messaging about physical activity.
• Gradual, realistic progression with a personalised plan.
• Connecting into the community - most interactions took place within local primary care settings, acting as gateways to broader community activities.

Timing was important for the delivery of a successful intervention. People needed to be at a point of being open to taking action to improve or protect their physical and mental wellbeing. This was sometimes after they had had time to process a changed situation, or when they felt that their physical or mental health could be about to decline.

Download the Research documents:

Executive Summary - Healthcare Professionals supporting disabled people into physical activity

Full report - The role of healthcare professionals in supporting disabled people into physical activity

Guidance

Off the back of the report Activity Alliance produced two resources designed to support healthcare professionals and systems.

One focusses on equipping health and care workers so they can give disabled children and adults the best information and accurately signpost to a wider choice of activities.

The second aims to assist Integrated Care Systems with their planning to ensure more disabled people are better supported into physical activity.

From knowing the right time to showing impairment or condition specific clinical knowledge the resource for healthcare professionals highlights five key things to consider. Whilst a checklist Checklist for Integrated Care Systems can be used to guide your planning to ensure more disabled people are better supported.

Download the Research documents:

Guidance for Healthcare Professionals

Guidance for Integrated Care Systems