Facilitators' Experiences of Delivering a Tailored Health Education Resource to People With Mild/Moderate Intellectual Disability
ABSTRACT Background People with intellectual disabilities face challenges accessing and understanding health information, impacting their ability to make informed lifestyle decisions. A tailored health education resource was developed to address this need through a collaborative public and patient involvement approach. Methods This mixed‐method pilot study explored the usability of a tailored health education resource from facilitators' perspectives. Eleven social‐care workers implemented it over 8 weeks in community hubs. Data were collected via focus groups, journals and a questionnaire and analysed via thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Findings The resource was effective and adaptable, enhancing learner engagement through multi‐modal strategies. Facilitators valued its flexibility but noted challenges with mixed‐ability groups and age‐appropriate materials. Conclusions The resource aids facilitators in teaching health concepts to people with intellectual disabilities. Modifications were suggested regarding some terminology and the inclusion of guidance on group composition. The study underscores the need for accessible, age‐appropriate information for this population.
Authors
- Lucia O’Neill
- Síle Divane
- Joe McCarthy
- Caroline Egan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2594-0440)
- João Costa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3623-6715)
- Maria Caples (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0734-7907)
- Edina Hanley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7453-3668)
- A. Broderick
- Anne‐Marie Martin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6446-7791)
- Caroline Dalton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1404-873X)
- Sandra Twomey
- Siobhan O’Donnell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2874-4450)
Institutions
- University College Cork (IE)
- COPD Foundation (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities
- Published
- 2025-11-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.70017
- Primary Topic
- Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Irish Research Council