Dilara Ozer is the Middle East representative to the IFAPA board and has led an innovative COVID-19 adapted physical activity project in Turkey. The aims of the project were to study the effects of online support services on the quality of life and physical activity levels of individuals with intellectual disabilities aged between 25-50 years old and their mothers who stay at home due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The details of the project can be found from https://www.onlinesupportmodule.com/en/
The research employed a multimethodological approach through an experimental method of quantitative and phenomological approaches. There were 92 individuals with intellectual disabilities aged between 25-50 in the study and their mothers. There were two groups, an experimental group with a physical activity programme consisting of three days a week of 60 minutes of physical activity and music activities. Mothers took part in a psychological counselling program, once a week for 80 minutes per session.
With the random assignment method, 40 participants with ID and their mothers (40) were assigned to the experiment group, 52 participants and their mothers of these participants to the control group. As a result, after the experimental study for individuals with ID; There is an increasing trend in psychological health and general health in QoL, and no change in FA; In the control group; It was found that there was no change in QoL, and there was a decrease in total and mild PA. After the experimental study for mothers; progress in all dimensions except the sub-dimension of social relations in QoL, no change in PA; In the control group; It was determined that there was a decrease in their physical health and an increase in sitting times.
