Interventions for Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention for Children and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities: a Systematic Review

Abstract

This systematic review evaluated interventions and relevant outcomes for health promotion and obesity prevention among children and adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD). Twenty-one studies including randomized control trials ( n = 9) and quasi-experimental studies ( n =12) published between 2010 and 2021 met inclusion criteria related to participant characteristics, intervention type, and child obesity-related outcomes. Five types of intervention programs were identified: aerobic and strength training, sport-based physical activity, aquatic exercise, active video gaming, and diet and lifestyle. Whereas analysis of intervention outcomes, efficacy, and study rigor showed mixed results and weak evidence of effective interventions, this review identified gaps in the literature, promising strategies for addressing obesity in children with DD, and implications for practice and future research. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40489-022-00335-5.

Special considerations for the adolescent with obesity: An obesity medicine association (OMA) clinical practice statement (CPS) 2024

“…For example, an adolescent with picky eating may have increased food acceptability when eating out or traveling; if these activities decrease stress, they may be more important than adding new, healthier food choices. Multifactorial causes of weight gain in the patient with SHCN include picky eating, compulsive behaviors, restrictive eating (often due to texture), dysregulated eating patterns, lack of access to adaptive physical activity, decreased metabolism, and iatrogenic weight gain (especially antipsychotic medication) [ 28 , 35 , 36 ].…”

“…(2016) found adolescents with intellectual disabilities to be respectively 1.54 and 1.80 times more at risk of OW/OB than typically developing adolescents [ 27 ]. African American and Latinx children with disabilities have an even greater risk compared to White children even though overall literature is still limited [ 28 ]. Vigilance to the trajectory of crossing BMI percentiles, whether up or down, in this population can be extremely helpful to identify early changes and rapid intervention for failure to thrive or excessive weight gain [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Injury Risk Analysis among Judo Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities

“…Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found that exercise can lead to psychosocial improvements [17] as well as improved mental and physical health [18] for members of this population. Participation in judo has been shown to have several benefits for people with ID, ranging from improved social and motor skills [19] to improved cardiovascular health [20].…”