People with intellectual disability (ID) are reported as a sedentary population with increased risks of poor health due to an inactive and sedentary lifestyle. As the benefits of physical activity are acknowledged, measuring physical activity accurately is important to help identify reasons for low and high physical activity in order to assist and maintain recommended levels for optimal health. This article reports a pilot study undertaken to validate the use of a physical activity monitor (Sensewear Armband) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) as instruments for measuring and exploring physical activity of men with ID. The design was a one-group descriptive study and the data were collected over a 7-day period from 17 men. The Sensewear Armband enabled continuous and long-term measurement of 14 objective physical activity metrics. The IPAQ examined details of physical activity reported over 7 days. Equivalent results were obtained from both the instruments, indicating a positive correlation between the Sensewear Armband and the IPAQ. The results show 50% have low activity levels, and the national recommended physical activity levels have been achieved at a very low active intensity. No sustainable high physical activity intensity levels were recorded. The results confirmed the Sensewear Armband and the IPAQ as a practical means of measuring and understanding physical activity levels in men with ID.

The prevalence of obesity appears greater in people with intellectual disabilities than those in the general population. This study aimed to examine the nutritional intake and anthropometric status of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants aged 16-64 years were recruited from intellectual disability service provider organizations ( n = 131). Data were collected using questionnaires; 4-day food dairies and weight, height and waist circumference measurements. Participants' mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.4 kg/m ± 6.1, 2.4% were underweight, 22.6% were normal weight, 28.2% were overweight and 46.8% were obese. Having a diagnosis of Down syndrome ( p = 0.03) was associated with increasing BMI. Increasing waist circumference was associated with increasing severity of ID ( p = 0.04). The mean-reported energy intake was 1890 kcal/day. Mean energy intakes from sugar, fat and saturated fat were above recommendations and few participants met micronutrient recommended daily amounts. This study highlights the alarming prevalence of overweight and obesity and poor diet quality of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

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The Teagasc Pig Production Model (TPPM), a stochastic simulation model of a farrow-to-finish pig farm, was developed to investigate effects of changes in production systems on farm profitability. The model simulates, on a weekly basis, the annual production of a farm. Biological [e.g., herd size, number of litters/sow/year, and mortality rates (%)], physical (e.g., infrastructure), and technical (e.g., feeding practices) variables and their associated costs are included as components of the model. These inputs are used to calculate physical (e.g., feed usage and number of pigs slaughtered) and financial (e.g., annual cash flow, profit and loss account, and balance sheet) outputs. The model was validated using the Delphi method and by comparing the TPPM outputs to data recorded on 20 Irish pig farms through the Teagasc e-Profit monitor system and with complete receipts for the year 2016. Results showed that the TPPM closely simulates physical and financial performance of pig farms indicating that the TPPM can be used with confidence to study pig production systems under Irish conditions. Model applicability was demonstrated by investigating the impact of 2 changes in technical performance: 1) building of extra accommodation to increase body weight (BW) at sale by 15 kg (EXTRA ROOM) and 2) a change in feeding practices by providing finisher feed from 28 kg of BW (EARLY FINISHER) compared with over 38 kg of BW. In both scenarios, the same biological parameters were used. Mortality rates, feed ingredients costs, and price per kg of meat produced were included as stochastic variables with the input distributions derived based on historical data simulated using Monte Carlo sampling using the Microsoft Excel add-in @Risk. Annual mean net profit was €198,101 (90% confidence interval [CI]: €119,606–€275,539) for the TPPM base farm, €337,078 (90% CI: €246,320–€426,809) for the EXTRA ROOM, and €225,598 (90% CI: €146,685–€303,590) for the EARLY FINISHER. EXTRA ROOM was associated with higher costs and required higher income to cover the additional costs. The 90% CI of the EARLY FINISHER was similar to the TPPM base farm while the EXTRA ROOM scenario resulted in a wider confidence interval, suggesting that a change in feeding practices could be a better option for farmers looking to improve profit with minimum investment. Thus, the TPPM could be used to facilitate decision making in farrow-to-finish pig farms.