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Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for People with Learning Disabilities: A Survey of Provider Organisations
Author(s) -
Turner Stephen
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of learning disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 1354-4187
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3156.1996.tb00222.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , overweight , learning disability , obesity , population , gerontology , medicine , health promotion , psychology , nursing , public health , environmental health , psychiatry
A postal survey of UK provider organisations investigated the nature and organisation of healthy lifestyle initiatives currently being offered to people with learning disabilities. Seventy percent of Social Services or Social Work Departments in England, Scotland and Wales were represented in the survey. One in four respondents said their organisation followed a healthy lifestyles policy for people with learning disabilities. These respondents also reported a wider range of healthy lifestyle initiatives. Weight loss and maintenance were the most commonly reported interventions, along with healthy eating, health education and catering, and health checks. Fitness interventions were less common, especially in NHS provider organisations. Healthy eating and health checks were most often cited as priorities for the future, while weight loss and maintenance interventions were less frequently given, despite the high level of obesity and overweight in this population. Alcohol and smoking‐related interventions were given low priority.