TY - JOUR
T1 - Obesity and health behaviours of British adults with self-reported intellectual impairments
T2 - cross sectional survey
AU - Robertson, Janet
AU - Emerson, Eric
AU - Baines, Susannah
AU - Hatton, Chris
PY - 2014/3/3
Y1 - 2014/3/3
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Intellectual disability
KW - Health inequality
KW - Severe intellectual disability
KW - Material hardship
KW - Poor living condition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898599052&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1471-2458-14-219
DO - 10.1186/1471-2458-14-219
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898599052
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 14
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
M1 - 219
ER -