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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Obesity and health behaviours of British adults with self-reported intellectual impairments: cross sectional survey

Authors: Janet Robertson, Eric Emerson, Susannah Baines, Chris Hatton

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

People with intellectual disability have significantly higher age-adjusted rates of mortality and morbidity (including obesity) than their non-disabled peers. They are also significantly less likely to be physically active.

Methods

Secondary analysis of de-identified cross-sectional data from the first two waves of Understanding Society, a new longitudinal study focusing on the life experiences of UK citizens. Interviews were undertaken with 50,994 individuals aged 16 and over in Wave 1 and 54,585 in Wave 2. Of these, 520 participants age 16–49 (1.8% of the unweighted age-restricted sample) were identified at either Wave 1 or Wave 2 as having self-reported intellectual impairments.

Results

British adults with self-reported intellectual impairments have higher rates of obesity, inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use and poorer nutrition than their non-disabled peers. Adjusting risk estimates for between group differences in age, gender and exposure to material hardship indicated that a significant proportion of their increased risk of obesity, tobacco use and poorer nutrition may be attributable to their poorer living conditions (rather than their self-reported intellectual impairments per se).

Conclusions

People with intellectual disabilities should begin to be regarded as a ‘vulnerable’ group in the context of public health policy and practice.
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Metadata
Title
Obesity and health behaviours of British adults with self-reported intellectual impairments: cross sectional survey
Authors
Janet Robertson
Eric Emerson
Susannah Baines
Chris Hatton
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-219

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