Prevalence of overweight and obesity among students with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan: A secondary analysis

• As age increases, the severity of obesity rises, especially in females.
• Students with ID in elementary schools have experienced underweight problems.
• Students with ID caused by genetic disorders appeared to be more overweight or obese.
• Students with moderate and severe ID were more overweight or obese.

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the prevalence and likelihood of overweight and obesity in a large sample of students with intellectual disabilities (ID) from Taiwan.MethodA secondary analysis of a cross sectional study was employed to examine the body weight status among 7 to 18 year-old students with ID enrolled in public special education schools in 2013. The students were divided into three age groups (7–12 yrs, 13–15 yrs, and 16–18 yrs), four ID levels (mild, moderate, severe, and profound) and six comorbidities of ID (ID only, ID caused by genetic disorders, ID with physical disability, ID with multiple disabilities without physical disabilities, ID with autism spectrum disorders, and others with rare diseases).ResultsThe sample represented 34.8% of students with ID attending public special education schools in Taiwan. Within this sample, 35.2% were identified as being overweight or obese. The 16 to 18 year-old age group were approximately two times (AOR = 2.02, more likely to be obese than the 7–12 year-old group. Students with ID caused by genetic disorders such as Down syndrome (AOR = 2.00) appeared to be more overweight or obese in comparison to those with ID only. Students with moderate (AOR = 1.64) and severe ID (AOR = 1.49) were more overweight/obese compared to those with profound ID.ConclusionThe findings not only highlight the high prevalence of overweight/obesity but also stress the need for health promotion initiatives to address issues of overweight/obesity within this population.