Weight, nutrition, food choice, and physical activity in adults with intellectual disability.
Most adults with ID are overweight, eat poorly, and move too little, so single-fix exercise plans will fail without diet and behavior supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nijs et al. (2016) asked adults with intellectual disability about their weight, food, and exercise. They used a survey to see how many had healthy habits.
The team looked at BMI, food choices, and weekly activity. They wanted to know how many adults with ID live at high obesity risk.
What they found
Only 37% of adults had a healthy BMI. Most were overweight or obese. Many ate few kinds of food and moved little.
Six in ten adults failed to meet basic activity guidelines. Poor nutrition and low exercise were common.
How this fits with other research
Hsieh et al. (2014) saw the same high obesity rate in adults with ID. Both papers agree the risk is real and widespread.
Sasson et al. (2022) pooled 17 trials and found exercise alone does not shrink BMI in this group. Nijs et al. (2016) shows why: most adults already fall short on activity, so adding more without diet or behavior help is not enough.
Mount et al. (2011) proved adults with ID can lose weight when given portioned meals, walking goals, and picture self-monitoring. The survey data from Nijs et al. (2016) underline the need for such full programs instead of just telling clients to be active.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with ID, treat obesity as a behavior puzzle, not a will-power flaw. Pair diet supports with easy-read activity plans and self-monitoring. Start by measuring BMI and food variety, then build small daily goals that include both nutrition and movement.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the nutrition, food choice, physical activity and weight status in a group of adults with intellectual disability (ID) in Victoria, Australia. METHOD: Disability workers and adults with ID were recruited through disability services. In total, 51 disability workers (11 men, 40 women) and 68 (47 men, 21 women) adults with ID participated in the research. Disability workers provided information about the nutrition, food choice and physical activity levels of adults with ID through a questionnaire administered by a general practitioner or research nurse. The questionnaire also included The Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative checklist. RESULTS: Body Mass Index was in the healthy range for only 37.5% of participants and in the obese range for almost half (41%). Similarly, the majority of participants had an abdominal circumference in a range that put them at increased or substantially increased risk of metabolic complications. The mean score obtained on the Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative checklist indicated a moderate risk of malnutrition (M = 4.2); however, 17.6% of participants achieved scores that put them in the high-risk category. More than half of the participants were reported to have a little choice in the type of food they ate and when they ate. Physical activity data indicated that the majority of participants (60.3%) did not meet national physical activity guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that people with ID are at risk of developing diseases associated with obesity, inactivity, and poor nutrition. Strategies to encourage people with ID to engage in physical activity and healthy eating are, therefore, a matter of priority and should involve their disability workers.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2016 · doi:10.1111/jir.12254