Body mass index of adults with intellectual disability participating in Special Olympics by world region.
Over half of adult Special Olympics athletes with ID are overweight—build weight and bone checks into every behavior plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Laugeson et al. (2014) weighed and measured adult Special Olympics athletes around the world. They used these numbers to calculate each person’s BMI. The goal was to see how many athletes carried extra weight.
What they found
Over half of the athletes were overweight or obese. Women and North-American athletes showed the highest rates. The data say excess weight is common in this active group.
How this fits with other research
Eden et al. (2017) extends this picture. They found young adults with ID often think their body size is fine even when it is not. Teaching clients to link size words to their own body may be needed before any diet plan.
Johnson et al. (2009) shows how to get good BMI numbers. When clients can’t stand for height, measure tibia length instead. This keeps the screening quick and accurate.
Mount et al. (2011) and Bao et al. (2017) look at bone health. Extra weight can stress bones, yet these reviews show most adults with ID never get a bone scan. Pair weight checks with DEXA referrals.
Why it matters
You now know that even fit Special Olympics athletes carry high rates of obesity. Add a simple BMI line to every annual plan. If height is hard to get, use tibia length. Before writing diet goals, check that the client can point to their own body size. Schedule a bone-density screen too, because extra weight and ID both raise fracture risk. These small steps fold weight management into the behavior plan without extra hassle.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disability (ID) experience poorer health and have more unmet health needs compared with people without ID, and they are often absent from population health surveillance. The aim of this study was to describe the body mass index (BMI) status of adult Special Olympics participants by world region and gender. Additionally, the general influence of age and gender on overweight/obesity of all participants was explored. METHOD: A total of 11 643 (7150 male and 4493 female) Special Olympics BMI records were available from the Special Olympics International Health Promotion database. BMI was compared by gender and world region. Logistic regression was used to examine whether age and gender were associated with the likelihood of being overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25.0). RESULTS: Overall, 5.5% of the sample was underweight, 36.1% in the normal range, 24.7% overweight and 32.1% obese, and levels of overweight/obesity were very high in North America. Both age and gender were significant predictors of overweight/obesity (odds ratios 1.06 and 0.59, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that adult Special Olympics participants have high levels of overweight and obesity; particularly among women and those from North America. It is crucial that those who work with, care for, coach and live with adults with ID who participate in Special Olympics increase efforts to promote healthy weight status.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2014 · doi:10.1111/jir.12011