(17-12-14) Obesity risk more likely to be higher for disabled adolescents

Teens who have mental or physical disabilities are more likely to be obese than their non-disabled peers, says American Public Health Association (APHA). The findings were announced on November 17, 2014, at the American Public Health Association’s 142nd Annual Meeting in New Orleans.
The prevalence of obesity was 16 percent of disabled adolescents and 10 percent for non-disabled teens. Disabled teens were less likely than their non-disabled peers to engage in 60 minutes of physical activity for at least 5 days a week. They were less likely to eat a healthy diet on a weekly basis such as consuming fruit, vegetables, green salads, and drinking 100 percent fruit juices. Disabled teens were more likely than their non-disabled peers to engage in unhealthy weight loss practices such as purging, fasting, or using diet pills or laxatives.
“As children with disabilities reach their teenage years, they are not immune to societal expectations for being thin,” said Mia Papas, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware and lead researcher of the study. “This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that children with disabilities, both girls and boys, are at increased risk for unhealthy weight control behaviors such as overuse of diet pills and laxatives, purging and fasting. Since these children have fewer opportunities for physical activity and may face other dietary challenges they are left with limited healthy weight control options and are more likely to engage in extreme measures to lose weight."
The study data was collected from the 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study, which surveyed participants between the ages of 18 years of age about whether they had a mental or physical disability, their diet, recreational activity and physical activity. Sample data of 9,775 participants from Delaware, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Rhode Island was reviewed.
“Successful obesity interventions need to target diet, physical activity, and eating behavior disorders among adolescents with disabilities,” said Papas. “Understanding barriers to healthier diets and physical activity for this population is critical to developing effective obesity prevention programs.”
The study: Obesity as a Public Health Problem for People with Disabilities: Predictors of obesity among adolescents with disabilities is available as "Session 3028" on the APHA website.

SOURCE: www.examiner.com

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