Body mass index of adults with intellectual disability participating in S pecial O lympics by world region

Background People with intellectual disability ( ID ) experience poorer health and have more unmet health needs compared with people without ID , and they are often absent from population health surveillance. The aim of this study was to describe the body mass index ( BMI ) status of adult S pecial O lympics participants by world region and gender. Additionally, the general influence of age and gender on overweight/obesity of all participants was explored. Method A total of 11 643 (7150 male and 4493 female) S pecial O lympics BMI records were available from the S pecial O lympics I nternational H ealth P romotion database. BMI was compared by gender and world region. Logistic regression was used to examine whether age and gender were associated with the likelihood of being overweight/obese ( BMI  ≥ 25.0). Results Overall, 5.5% of the sample was underweight, 36.1% in the normal range, 24.7% overweight and 32.1% obese, and levels of overweight/obesity were very high in N orth A merica. Both age and gender were significant predictors of overweight/obesity (odds ratios 1.06 and 0.59, respectively). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that adult S pecial O lympics participants have high levels of overweight and obesity; particularly among women and those from N orth A merica. It is crucial that those who work with, care for, coach and live with adults with ID who participate in S pecial O lympics increase efforts to promote healthy weight status.