Health and wellbeing of Victorian adults with intellectual disability compared to the general Victorian population.
Victorian adults with ID face sharply higher depression, diabetes, and missed cancer screens—use these stats to secure medical follow-up for your clients.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Haider et al. (2013) asked adults with intellectual disability across Victoria about their health. They compared the answers to the same questions asked of the general public.
The team looked at diabetes, depression, cancer screening, and how people rated their own health.
What they found
Adults with ID had much higher rates of depression and diabetes. They also said their health was poor more often.
They went for cancer screening far less than other Victorians.
How this fits with other research
Hatton et al. (2004) pooled earlier studies and saw the same pattern: people with ID carry extra epilepsy, skin, and bone problems. The new survey adds fresh numbers from Australia.
Tassé et al. (2013) looked at the same Victorian group but focused on heart attacks and strokes. They found no extra risk, while Imran’s team found more diabetes. The gap is simple: diabetes is an earlier step on the health timeline; heart events may come later.
Olsen et al. (2021) dug deeper and showed that obesity and low activity, not ID severity, drive poor self-rated health. Imran gives the big picture; the 2021 paper tells you which levers to push.
Why it matters
You can hand these numbers to funders or doctors to show why your clients need priority diabetes and depression screening. Add brief health-history questions to your intake forms. Flag anyone who has not had a cancer screen and walk them through booking it. Small steps, big payoff.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Multiple measures of health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disability (ID) and the general Victorian population were compared using representative population level data. The sample consisted of adults with ID (N=897) and the general Victorian population (N=34,168) living in the state of Victoria in Australia. Proxy respondents were interviewed on behalf of people with ID, while respondents from the general Victorian population were interviewed directly. The data were weighted to reflect the age/sex/geographic distribution of the population. Results revealed that adults with ID reported higher prevalence of poor social determinants of health, behavioural risk factors, depression, diabetes, poor or fair health. A higher proportion of people with ID reported blood pressure and blood glucose checks, while a lower proportion reported cervical and breast cancer screening, compared with the general Victorian population. The survey identified areas where targeted approaches may be undertaken to improve the health outcomes of people with ID and provide an important understanding of the health and wellbeing of these Victorians.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.017