Associations between physical fitness and cardiovascular disease in older adults with intellectual disabilities: Results of the Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disability study

Background Reduced physical fitness is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor in the general population. However, generalising these results to older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) may be inappropriate given their pre‐existing low physical fitness levels and high prevalence of co‐morbidities. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the difference in physical fitness between older adults with ID with and without CVD. Method Baseline data of a cohort of older adults with borderline to profound ID (HA‐ID study) were used (n = 684; 61.6 ± 8.2 years; 51.3% male). CVD status (coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke) was obtained from medical files. Cardiorespiratory fitness (10‐m incremental shuttle walking test), comfortable and fast gait speed (over 5 m distance) and grip strength (hand dynamometer) were measured. Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate the association between these physical fitness components and the presence of CVD, adjusted for participant characteristics. Results Of the 684 participants 78 (11.4%) had CVD. Participants with CVD scored lower on cardiorespiratory fitness (−81.4 m, P = 0.002), comfortable gait speed (−0.3 km/h, P = 0.04) and fast gait speed (−1.1 km/h, P = 0.04). No significant differences were found for grip strength (−0.2 kg, P = 0.89). Conclusions Older adults with CVD had significantly lower physical fitness levels than those without CVD, except for grip strength. Longitudinal research is needed to investigate causality.