International BMI comparison of children and youth with intellectual disabilities participating in Special Olympics.
Special Olympics data show one-third of youth with intellectual disability are overweight or obese, with North American girls at double risk, so screen BMI and add movement plus nutrition lessons now.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lloyd et al. (2012) weighed and measured young Special Olympics athletes around the world. They used body-mass index to see how many kids with intellectual disability were overweight or obese.
The team pulled height and weight data from 2010 Special Olympics events in every world region. No new treatment was tested; they simply counted and compared.
What they found
About three in every ten youth with intellectual disability were overweight or obese. North American girls topped the chart at 54 percent.
Rates varied by region, but no area was free of the problem. The data show extra weight is common in this group.
How this fits with other research
Doughty et al. (2015) ran a direct replication with adult Special Olympians and got the same pattern: U.S. athletes carried markedly more weight than Chinese peers. The age gap explains why adult numbers are higher; both studies point to the same country-level risk.
Yuan et al. (2021) narrowed the lens to Chinese school students with ID and found about one-third overweight or obese, matching the global rate Meghann reported for that region. Bégarie et al. (2013) did the same in French special-education schools and again landed near one-third, showing the problem is stable across continents.
Heller et al. (2011) reviewed what works: community exercise plus nutrition education can shrink those numbers. Meghann’s snapshot sets the stage for those very programs.
Why it matters
If you serve youth with intellectual disability, expect at least one in three to carry extra weight, with North American girls at highest risk. Build BMI screening into intake, then embed short movement breaks and simple nutrition lessons into daily sessions. Small, steady changes can bend the curve before adulthood.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe the BMI status of children and youth with intellectual disabilities by world region, gender and age. A total of 9678 children and youth records were available from the Special Olympics International Health Promotion database after data cleaning (6084 boys and 3594 girls). Children were defined as 8-11 year olds (n=2035), and youth were defined as 12-18 year olds (n=7643). BMI prevalence rates were computed using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-points, and logistic regression was used to determine if either age or gender was associated with being overweight or obese. Approximately 30% of the sample was overweight or obese; however, the prevalence rates in North America were much higher, particularly among girls. Fifty-four percent of girls (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.4-57.2%) were overweight or obese. Logistic regression revealed that both age and gender were significant predictors in North America; however this pattern was not consistent throughout the world regions. BMI status is a significant indicator of health, and these findings suggest that overweight and obesity are significant health concerns for children and youth with intellectual disabilities around the world. Obesity rates in this population are particularly high in North America, and the odds of becoming overweight or obese increased with age in North America. It is critical that health professionals increase Health Promotion efforts, including physical activity and healthy eating behaviors for children and youth with intellectual disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.04.014