Prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

Introduction: Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) are more likely to have problems related to body mass than typically developing pediatric population. Compared to the great number of studies focusing on children and adolescents without ID, evidence regarding body composition among young populations with ID is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence rate of body composition disorders among school-aged children and adolescents with ID in the Podkarpacie region. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study of 461 students aged 4-18 years was conducted in special education institutions in southeastern Poland. Body mass index (BMI) was assessed. Based on BMI values, the BMI percentile of each participants was calculated using Polish age- and sex-specific BMI charts. The physical measurements included also waist circumference (WC) and body fat percentage (BFP) which was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Analysis was performed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity, excess adiposity, and abdominal obesity (AO). Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity based BMI was 28,2% and 17,4%, respectively. Obesity was diagnosed more often in girls (24,1%) compared to boys (13,7%). The prevalence of excess adiposity (BFP = 95th percentile) was 25,6% (37,6% among girls and 19,1% among boys). Prevalence of AO (WC = 90th percentile) was 39,5%, higher in girls compared to boys (49,3% vs. 34,1%, respectively). Conclusions: Results indicated that the prevalence of obesity among school-aged children and adolescents with ID was remarkably high. Obesity was diagnosed more often in girls. Therefore, future research should focus on reducing and preventing obesity of this population in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]