Diabetes in adults with intellectual disability: prevalence and associated demographic, lifestyle, independence and health factors.
One in 14 adults with ID already has diabetes, and ethnicity plus residential setting raise the odds more than diet or weight.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team pulled UK registry data on adults with intellectual disability. They counted how many already had a diabetes diagnosis.
They also looked at age, sex, ethnicity, where the person lived, and basic lifestyle data.
What they found
Seven out of every 100 adults with ID had diabetes.
Risk was higher for South Asian adults and for those in residential homes. Exercise, smoking, and body weight did not explain the extra risk.
How this fits with other research
MacRae et al. (2015) had earlier pooled small studies and saw a huge range: 0.4% to 25%. The new 7% figure lands near the middle, giving the first solid UK benchmark.
Jackson et al. (2025) tracked the same group forward in time and found adults with ID get type 2 diabetes at twice the rate of other adults. Their finding supports the 7% snapshot and shows the problem keeps growing.
Matson et al. (2013) surveyed clinics and found most adults with ID plus diabetes miss basic care goals. High prevalence plus poor control equals double trouble.
Why it matters
You now know diabetes is common in the people you serve, especially South Asian adults and those in group homes. Lifestyle questions alone will not spot every case. Add a yearly finger-stick or HbA1c to your support plan. Flag high-risk clients so primary care orders the lab work early.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: As people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are now living longer, they are more at risk of developing non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, understanding of factors associated with diabetes for targeted management and prevention strategies is limited. This study aimed to investigate prevalence of diabetes in adults (aged ≥18 years) with ID and its relationship with demographic, lifestyle, independence and health factors. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional analysis of interview data from 1091 adults with ID from the Leicestershire Learning Disability Register from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2016. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with diabetes in the study population. RESULTS: The study population did not have healthy lifestyles: just under half reported having lower physical activity levels than people without ID of a similar age; one-quarter consumed fizzy drinks daily; and 20% consumed five or more fruit and/or vegetables per day. Prevalence of carer/self-reported diabetes was 7.3% (95% confidence interval 5.9-9.0). After adjustment, diabetes was positively associated with South Asian ethnicity (P = 0.03) and older age groups (P < 0.001). Diabetes was less common in people living with family members (P = 0.02). We did not find a relationship between any of the lifestyle, independence and health factors investigated. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of people with ID are living with diabetes. Diabetes management and prevention strategies should be tailored to individuals' complex needs and include consideration of lifestyle choices. Such strategies may want to focus on adults of South Asian ethnicity and people living in residential homes where prevalence appears to be higher.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2020 · doi:10.1111/jir.12718