Position of the American Dietetic Association: Providing nutrition services for people with developmental disabilities and special health care needs

Van Riper CL, Wallace LS; American Dietetic Association.  The University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe-Meyer Institute, Omaha, NE, USA.  J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Feb;110(2):296-307.   It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that nutrition services provided by registered dietitians (RDs) and dietetic technicians, registered (DTRs), are essential components of comprehensive care for […]

Read More…

Health Disparities Research: Services for People with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities

Uncovering health care inequalities among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ward RL, Nichols AD, Freedman RI.  Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice, SUNY Fredonia, NY 14063, USA. rolanda.ward@gmail.com  Health Soc Work. 2010 Nov;35(4):280-90. Even as attention is drawn to the increasing number of individuals who experience health inequalities in the United […]

Read More…

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Providing nutrition services for people with developmental disabilities and special health care needs.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that nutrition services provided by registered dietitians (RDs) and dietetic technicians, registered (DTRs), are essential components of comprehensive care for all people with developmental disabilities and special health care needs. Nutrition services should be provided throughout life in a manner that is interdisciplinary, family-centered, community-based, and […]

Read More…

The Healthy Lifestyle Change Program: a pilot of a community-based health promotion intervention for adults with developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Although adults with developmental disabilities are at high risk for obesity and its sequelae, few community-based lifestyle interventions targeting those with developmental disabilities exist. DESIGN: The study was a single group, community-based demonstration project with pre-post test evaluation conducted from December 2005 to June 2006. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Eligible participants were 431 community-dwelling adults with developmental […]

Read More…

Environmental barriers and supports to the health, function, and participation of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities: report from the State of the Science in Aging with Developmental Disabilities Conference.

BACKGROUND: This article summarizes the proceedings of the Environmental Barriers and Supports to Health, Function and Participation Work Group that was part of the “State of the Science in Aging with Developmental Disabilities: Charting Lifespan Trajectories and Supportive Environments for Healthy Living” symposium. The aim was to provide a research and policy agenda targeting the […]

Read More…

Learning what matters for patients: qualitative evaluation of a health promotion program for those with serious mental illness.

Sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary behaviors and metabolic alterations associated with psychiatric medications contribute to poor health and high rates of obesity among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Interventions that increase engagement in physical exercise, dietary modifications, lifestyle changes and preventive health care can provide health benefits across the lifespan. These interventions have led to […]

Read More…

Learning what matters for patients: qualitative evaluation of a health promotion program for those with serious mental illness.

Sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary behaviors and metabolic alterations associated with psychiatric medications contribute to poor health and high rates of obesity among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Interventions that increase engagement in physical exercise, dietary modifications, lifestyle changes and preventive health care can provide health benefits across the lifespan. These interventions have led to […]

Read More…

Behavioral health in developmental disabilities: a comprehensive program of nutrition, exercise, and weight reduction.

We review the literature on the prevalence and conditions resulting in overweight and obesity in people with intellectual disability (ID), followed by obesity treatment research with typically developing children and adaptations for children with ID. In addition to proposing directions for future research and practice, we report a comprehensive randomized control trial (RCT) of family-based […]

Read More…

Weight loss and dietary improvements following the Healthy Lifestyle Change Program, a community-based intervention for adults with developmental disabilities

OBJECTIVE: People with developmental disabilities (DD) are at high risk for obesity due to inactivity, poor diet and medication effects.Our goal was to evaluate the effect of an intervention designed for adults with DD on weight loss and dietary habits. METHODS: A pre-post test design was used to evaluate the Healthy Lifestyle Change Program (HLCP), […]

Read More…