Obesity and intellectual disability

Abstract

While much of the industrialized world struggles for clues to the growing rise in obesity in their respective countries, researchers and service providers involved in understanding the health characteristics and health behaviors of persons with intellectual disability (ID) struggle with their own issues regarding the increased prevalence of obesity in this segment of the population. What is particularly alarming is that adults with ID residing in the United States in smaller, less supervised settings (e.g., group homes and family households) have a significantly higher rate of obesity compared to other countries and those living in larger and more supervised settings (e.g., institutions). These differences support the theory that the environment appears to exert a powerful influence on obesity in this population. Obesity presents a substantial threat to the livelihood of persons with ID and may have an effect on community participation, independent living, and healthy years of life. The lack of research on successful weight reduction strategies for obese persons with ID makes this an important and greatly needed area of research. Key Words: obesity; intellectual disability; developmental disability; health promotion; health status O besity is a serious health risk among many individuals and groups throughout the industrialized world and often leads to various health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, stroke, stress, depression, and respiratory diseases [Eckel, 1997; National Institutes of Health, 1998;Must et al., 1999;Pi-Sunyer, 1999; National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, 2000]. In the United States, obesity has more than doubled from 13.4% in 196013.4% in to 30.9% in 200013.4% in [Flegal et al., 2002. As a result of this substantial increase, the U.S. Surgeon General declared that obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the nation and called for an immediate action to prevent and reduce its impact on both the individual and society at large [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001].Researchers have also recognized that obesity is a major health threat in persons with intellectual disability (ID) [Fox and Rotatori, 1982;Kelly et al., 1986;Rimmer et al., 1993;Rubin et al., 1998;Horwitz et al., 2000;Janicki et al., 2002;Traci et al., 2002]. Population-level prevalence data indicate that the obesity levels of adults with ID are either similar to or higher than their non-ID counterparts [Emerson, 2005;Yamaki, 2005]. Lack of healthy eating habits and regular physical activity, common factors associated with obesity in the general population [U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, 2001], are also growing problems among persons with ID [Draheim et al., 2002;Braunschweig et al., 2004;Emerson, 2005].Obesity results in significant societal and personal costs [Poston and Foreyt, 1999]. Among persons with ID, it has the potential to reduce or limit opportunities for various types of community participation, including employment and leisu...

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Nuevas consideraciones sobre la salud de las personas con trastornos del desarrollo intelectual

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Physical activity of disabled individuals in the context of meeting WHO recommendations and support of local authorities

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