Co-creating an intervention to promote physical activity in adolescents with intellectual disabilities: lessons learned within the Move it, Move ID!-project

Abstract

Abstract Background Co-creation is a method to develop acceptable, contextually appropriate and potentially more effective interventions. Adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) seldomly participate in research and program development due to the assumption that they lack the capacity to understand and discuss the related topics. Objective This study describes a co-creation process with adolescents with ID in developing an intervention to increase physical activity. It was the aim to reflect on the co-creation process, and consequently formulate important lessons learned. Methods Twenty-three adolescents (14-22y) with mild to moderate ID participated in six co-creation sessions. The objectives and working methods in each session are described. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted on the researchers' reflection forms, which were completed after each session. Results Seven main themes could be distinguished from the data: experiences related to teacher presence during sessions, the importance of building rapport, co-decision making power, the impact of different group dynamics, the relevance of adapted questioning, the influence of co-creative working methods and required characteristics of a co-creation researcher. Conclusion Innovative and creative working methods that allow for the inclusion of those with different communication styles are highly needed. Transparent description of the entire process could be a first step to turn co-creative research into an evidence-based methodology. Co-creation with adolescents with ID is feasible if the necessary adjustments are applied.