Development of the learning disability physical activity questionnaire (LDPAQ)

Background & Purpose:
People with learning disabilities can be affected by complex health needs and their life expectancy is significantly reduced. This is considered as a priority population with levels of physical activity estimated to be less than half of those without a disability. Physical activity has a role in enhancing quality of life and better management of multiple health issues in this population especially if they are individually tailored to the service users’ abilities and care needs. Considering the complexities of communication and intellectual challenges, there is a need for a specific physical activity assessment tool in people with learning disabilities.

Design/methodology:
A multidisciplinary team of experts devised the Learning Disability Physical Activity Questionnaire (LDPAQ) as a tool to measure physical activity. The tool was tested first within community followed by inpatient setting for comparison and assessment of its reliability and paracticality in two different environments.

Findings:
An easy-read, picture-based, self-reported and concise questionnaire with options relevant to people with learning disabilities was developed. Feedback from the audit confirmed ease of use, relevance and high levels of respondent satisfaction in both community and inpatient settings. A small-scale audit of the tool also confirmed the need for promoting physical activity within this population.

Conclusion:
The LDPAQ is a novel questionnaire that aims to be a universally applicable tool for the assessment of physical activity status in people with learning disabilities. It is designed to be used by people with learning disabilities themselves, professionals and organisations and can provide time efficient reliable measurements that can inform and guide health care practitioners, care givers and service users . Further larger scale collaborative research is needed to explore the full potential of this tool.