The incidence of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is on the rise; therefore, well-timed screening is important. Given that this is a nutritionally vulnerable population, it is imperative to conduct a detailed nutritional assessment so that timely and intensive interventions can be recommended. This review article summarizes the research, focusing on the nutritional status of individuals with ASDs based on their anthropometric measurements, biomarkers, and dietary assessments. Research examining anthropometric measurements reveals an abnormally accelerated rate of growth among children with autism but shows inconsistent findings on the prevalence of overweight/obesity in comparison with typically growing children. Although dysregulated amino acid metabolism, increased homocysteine, and decreased folate, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and vitamin D concentrations have been proposed as possible biomarkers for an early diagnosis of ASDs, research investigating their association with age, gender, severity, and other comorbid psychiatric/nonpsychiatric disorders is lacking. There is consensus that children with autism have selective eating patterns, food neophobia, limited food repertoire, and sensory issues. Although inadequate micronutrient but adequate macronutrient intakes are increasingly reported, there are inconsistent results about the extent and type of nutrient deficiencies. Identification and development of nutritional assessment indicators that serve as early warning signs during routine practice beginning at birth and extending throughout the child's growth are necessary. With this population aging, there is also a dire need to study the adult population. A more vigorous role by nutrition professionals is warranted because management of potential comorbidities and contributory factors may be particularly problematic.

Background:The prevalence of being overweight and obese is increasing not just in the general population but also in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Therefore, a need to identify factors contributing to overweight/obesity arises as this population is escalating. Materials and Methods:This narrative review article summarizes pertinent research focusing on prevalence and the potential factors associated with overweight and obesity in adults with intellectual disability during the past decade.Results: Prevalence of being overweight and obese among adults with intellectual disability is reportedly 28%-71% and 17%-43%, respectively. Factors increasing the susceptibility of being overweight or obese have been identified as female gender, increasing age, having a certain diagnosis, mild intellectual disability, as well as living independently/with family, consuming certain prescription medications, and non-participation in physical activities. Conclusion:Identification of the potential risk factors associated with being overweight and obese in this population will help tackle the challenges faced by this growing adult population with intellectual disability. K E Y W O R D Sintellectual disability, obesity, overweight, potential factors, prevalence | INTRODUCTIONDuring the past decades, life expectancy of the people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) has increased considerably and follows similar increasing trends to those found in the general population except for those with Down syndrome or epilepsy and or severe and multiple disabilities (Coppus, 2013;Hosking et al., 2016;Patja, Iivanainen, Vesala, Oksanen, & Ruoppila, 2000). Data from the United Kingdom, however, report significantly higher mortality among individuals with intellectual disability compared to the general population; the median age at death of male and female individuals with intellectual disability being 65 and 63 years, respectively compared to 78 and 83 years in the general population (Heslop et al., 2014;Hosking et al., 2016).Most common causes of death among individuals with intellectual disability are reportedly cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and neoplasms (Janicki et al., 2002;Patja, Molsa, & Iivanainen, 2001).In their large 35-year follow-up research, Patja et al. (2001) showed that the disease mortality pattern was high up to 40 years of age, but did not increase after that indicating that older people with intellectual disability had a similar mortality pattern to the general population.Health care professionals are therefore posed with new challenges, as lack of good-quality health care is reportedly an important contributory factor to mortality among this population (Heslop et al., 2014;Hosking et al., 2016).With more than one-third of adults (36.9% men & 38.0% women) in the world being overweight or obese (Ng et al., 2014), it is logical to believe that there is a rise or similar increasing trend in the prevalence of being overweight and obese in adults with intellectual disability. Data on US population...

To determine the type, prevalence, intensity and the potential risk factors for helminths infection harboured by primary school aged children from selected schools of Delhi, India. Stool samples collected from 347 boys and girls studying in grades I-IV (aged 5-15 years) were examined by the semi-quantitative Kato-Katz method for presence of eggs of soil-transmitted helminths. Questionnaire data on the potential risk factors, associated variables and consequences of infection were categorized as individual, household, hygiene/sanitation related and behavioural factors. Associations between infection and these factors were assessed by multiple logistic regressions. The overall prevalence of infection with any of the helminths was 29.7 %. The prevalence of single infection with Ascaris lumbricoides was 8.1 % while that of hookworm and Trichuris trichiura was 3.7 % each. Strongest predictors for the helminths presence were never deworming (OR = 1.76; 95 % CI: 1.05, 2.95), no facility for defection (OR = 4.31; 95 % CI: 1.22, 15.22), using left hand for cleaning anal region (OR = 2.01; 95 % CI: 1.18, 3.43) and not reporting pain in stomach (OR = 1.93; 95 % CI: 1.14, 3.26). Though the infection intensities were low, we highlighted some of the potential risk factors that increase the susceptibility to these infections. Periodic deworming along with improvement in hygiene and sanitation practices through concerted efforts, not only from the school infrastructure but also the community at large, will help prevent helminths transmission and reinfection.

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