Individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have a preponderance of weight problems, possibly even greater than the obesity epidemic in the general population. Although atypical antipsychotics cause weight gain, their contribution to obesity has not been characterized in a community setting where individuals may take multiple psychotropics associated with weight gain. Using survey […]
Abstract Topics: Nutrition
Community health and nutrition screening for Special Olympics athletes.
Since 1961, Special Olympics has provided sports training and athletic competition for people with mental retardation. A recent addition to these Olympics has been the Healthy Athletes Program, designed to help the athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experiences and well being. Original health services included dental and eye screening. In […]
Barriers to nutrition as a health promotion practice for women with disabilities.
The purposes of this study were to examine the barriers to eating well experienced by women with physical disabilities and the services required to improve eating habits. Participants (mean age=48.9, SD=14.4) completed a questionnaire on health promotion behaviours (n=1096), which included a section on nutrition-related behaviours. Of the 31.8% who stated that they experienced barriers […]
Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study.
INTRODUCTION: Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) before birth can adversely affect children’s neurodevelopment. The most common form of prenatal exposure is maternal fish consumption, but whether such exposure harms the fetus is unknown. We aimed to identify adverse neurodevelopmental effects in a fish-consuming population. METHODS: We investigated 779 mother-infant pairs residing in the Republic of Seychelles. […]
Prevalence of obesity in International Special Olympic athletes as determined by body mass index.
The heights and weights of 1,749 Special Olympics athlete volunteers participating in the Special Olympics Games in 1999 and 2001 were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was computed. Results indicated that athletes from the United States (US) under 18 years of age had a significantly (P<.001) higher prevalence of being overweight or at risk […]