People with intellectual disabilities who take part in Special Olympic programmes have a better quality of life than those who do not take part, a new study has found.

According to the findings, those who take part are more active, are physically fitter and have a greater overall sense of wellbeing.

The study, known as the SOPHIE (Special Olympics Programmes Health Impact Evaluation) Project, was led by researchers at Dublin City University (DCU) and also involved researchers from Queen's University Belfast and the University of York.

The aim of the project was to investigate whether those with intellectual disabilities are healthier and happier if they take part in Special Olympic programmes.

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It provides year-round training and competitions to over five million athletes in almost 170 countries.

Special Olympics Ireland currently has over 9,000 registered athletes participating in a range of sports nationwide.

Almost 300 people took part in this study, including 146 people with an intellectual disability and 146 of their principal family carers.

"This research makes an important contribution by highlighting the health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities. It is clear from the findings that participation in Special Olympics plays an invaluable role in the lives of athletes, impacting positively on the individual, but so too their families and wider communities," commented DCU President, Brian MacCraith.

Meanwhile the study also looked at potential barriers to participation in Special Olympic programmes. These were found to include an over-reliance on care-givers, who were often elderly parents, and a lack of transport, which meant that some people could not access these programmes.

‘The report highlights the positive effects of participation in Special Olympics for our athletes and underlines the challenges in providing opportunities at a local level, to participate in high quality sport and development activities that bring life-changing experiences of increased skills, self-confidence and joy," commented Special Olympics Ireland CEO, Matt English.

Meanwhile, the study also noted that 75% of respondents were overweight or obese. It called on healthcare professionals working in this area to monitor this issue with their patients.

The SOPHIE Project researchers added that investment in the Special Olympics should continue and more must be done to remove barriers to participation.

(Pictured: President of DCU, Professor Brian MacCraith, Dr Mary Rose Sweeney, DCU's School of Nursing and Human Sciences and Matt English, CEO Special Olympics, at the launch of the SOPHIE Project Report)