Obesity trends of 8-18 year old Special Olympians: 2005-2010.
Obesity surges after age 12 in youth with ID—track BMI early and plan teen-focused, long-haul health programs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Smith et al. (2014) tracked body-mass index in 2,659 Special-Olympic athletes .
They compared each athlete’s BMI to national growth-chart cut-offs for 2005, 2007-08 and 2009-10.
Kids had intellectual disability, Down syndrome or both.
What they found
By 2009-10, a large share of teen athletes were obese versus a large share of same-age U.S. kids.
The gap showed up only after age 12; younger athletes matched national rates.
Girls with ID faced the steepest climb in obesity across the five years.
How this fits with other research
Ferreri et al. (2011) saw a similar teen gap flip in adults: obesity was equal overall except for women with ID or Down syndrome, who were heavier.
The age split makes sense—puberty plus less school-based PE may tip the scale.
Fahmie et al. (2013) tried a 10-week diet-and-exercise class for overweight ID teens and found only candy intake dropped; BMI stayed put.
Together the papers say: obesity risk rises after 12, and quick school programs alone don’t fix it.
Why it matters
Start weighing and plotting BMI at every annual plan for clients 12 and up.
Pair the number with a short food-security screener—Atan et al. (2026) link empty cupboards to six-fold obesity odds.
Then schedule teen-only fitness clubs that meet twice a week after school; keep them fun, long-term and parent-involved.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Obesity is a worldwide health problem. Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience health disparities, including higher rates of obesity than their peers with typical development; however, there has been no tracking of the obesity rates of children and youth with ID over time. The objective of this study was to compare the BMI of children and youth (8-<19 years of age) with and without ID in the USA, measured overtime; and determine differences between the two groups. This study is a secondary analysis of BMI derived from the Special Olympics International (SOI) Healthy Athletes database. Data were available for 2541 (1527 male) American SOI participants. Using BMI cut-offs from the CDC growth curves the BMI data were stratified into two age bands: 8-11 years (n=429) and 12-<19 years (n=2112), and comparisons were made between SOI participants' BMI data and published NHANES data from the years 2005-2006, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010. SOI participants (12-<19 years) had significantly higher levels of obesity than the national average in 2007-2008 and 2009-2010; there were no differences in the children (8-11 years). Males in the 8-11 years age group were more likely to be obese than females in the same age group (OR=1.62, p=.035). These results highlight that an obesity disparity exists in the USA for children and youth with ID, particularly as they get older and there is a need for further physical activity and healthy eating interventions and overall health promotion activities targeted at this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.12.005