Maltreatment can have a profound adverse effect on the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). People with ID may also be more likely to experience maltreatment than other groups. Historically, data on prevalence of maltreatment among people with ID have been sparse and methodologically weak but have suggested that the scope of the problem is considerable. Studies published between 1995 and 2005 were reviewed to determine estimated maltreatment prevalence among people with ID based on recent literature. Prevalence estimates for people with ID were compared to estimates for people with no disabilities and people with other types of disabilities. Only five studies provided maltreatment prevalence estimates for people with ID. The limited data suggest that maltreatment is more prevalent for people with ID than for people with no disabilities and may be higher for people with ID than for people with certain other disabilities. Most of the available research is still based on convenience samples. More population-level data are needed to provide reliable estimates of the prevalence of this important health problem. Key Words: maltreatment; prevalence; intellectual disability (mental retardation) M altreatment has been identified as a significant health issue for people with intellectual and other disabilities [Sobsey, 1994;Curry et al., 2001;USDHHS 2002]. Among the general population, exposure to maltreatment has been shown to produce a range of sequelae, including physical trauma, compromised psychological health, or death [Tjaden and Thoennes, 2000;Ireland, 2002]. In addition to these consequences, people with disabilities may develop secondary disabilities and/or suffer loss of independence [Mitchell and Buchele-Ash, 2000;Swedlund and Nosek, 2000]. For example, a person with an intellectual disability may develop emotional problems as a result of psychological maltreatment or develop a secondary mobility disability as a result of physical abuse.Unfortunately, while maltreatment in the general population has been recognized as a national priority with large-scale efforts to measure the prevalence of maltreatment and violence (e.g., National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS); National Violence Against Women Survey), little attention has been devoted to collecting comprehensive data on maltreatment of people with disabilities. Although the most recent report based on NCANDS data included disability as a demographic category, the data are acknowledged to be underestimates [USDHHS, 2005]. The data that are provided are for children with disabilities in general, with no information about specific types of disabilities.A number of authors [Jaudes and Diamond, 1985;Ammerman and Baladerian, 1993;Sobsey, 1994] have reported that individuals with disabilities are more likely to be maltreated than individuals without disabilities. Moreover, it has been asserted that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at especially high risk [Levy and Packman, 2004]. One oft-cited study [Cross et a...

A scoping review of studies on physical activity and nutrition health promotion interventions for individuals with intellectual disabilities was conducted. Searches included MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases from 1986 through July 2006. The final number included 11 articles comprising 12 studies. Generally, this review indicated some evidence for fitness and psychosocial benefits of community-based physical activity and exercise programs for adults with intellectual disabilities. When combined with a more comprehensive health behavior education program incorporating exercise and nutrition information, some evidence exists for reductions in weight.

The purpose of this article was to provide a comprehensive review of the exercise intervention literature on persons with physical and cognitive disabilities. Electronic searches were conducted to identify research articles published from 1986 to 2006. Of the 80 physical activity/exercise interventions identified in the literature, only 32 were randomized controlled trials. The remaining studies were nonrandomized controlled trials with (n = 16) and without (n = 32) a control group. There was a mixture of exercise training modalities that involved aerobic (26%), strength (25%), and combined aerobic and strength (23%) exercises, but there were no overlapping studies using the same dose of exercise for any of the 11 disability groups. Almost half the studies targeted stroke (20%), multiple sclerosis (15%), and intellectual disability (13%), with significantly fewer studies targeting other disability groups. The current literature on exercise and disability is extremely broad in scope and has limited generalizability to any specific disability group. A new body of evidence is needed with stronger research designs that adhere to precise dosing characteristics for key health outcomes (e.g., pain/fatigue reduction, improved cardiorespiratory health). Multicenter trials will be needed for low-prevalence populations to strengthen research designs and increase generalizability of study findings.

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Health promotion programs for people with disabilities are in the early stages of development. This critical review utilizes a credentialed expert panel to develop a set of guidelines for community-based health promotion programs for individuals with disabilities. The procedures include a review of background material, systematic literature review with drafted guidelines consisting of operational, participation and accessibility recommendations. The role that those with disabilities can play is addressed and includes program planning, implementation and evaluation, physical and programmatic accessibility of programs, and importance of evidence-based practices.

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Health status is critically important to experiencing quality of life, self-sufficiency, and full participation in society. For the 54 million Americans with disabilities, maintaining health and wellness is especially important to reduce the impact of impairment on functioning in these critical life areas. Yet, people with disabilities may be the largest underserved subpopulation demonstrating health status disparities that stem from preventable secondary conditions. Healthy People 2010, the nation’s blueprint for improved health, addresses this problem in its objectives. In 2002 and 2005, the U.S. Surgeon General asked for public health efforts to improve the health and wellness of persons with disabilities. This article examines the concepts of health and wellness, summarizes currently available information documenting disparities in health for people with disabilities, and provides a framework for policy recommendations to reduce health disparities among people with disabilities.

BackgroundEvidence-based health promotion programs developed and tested in the general population typically exclude people with disabilities. To address this gap, a set of methods and criteria were created to adapt evidence-based health promotion programs for people with disabilities. In this first study, we describe a framework for adapting evidence-based obesity prevention strategies for people with disabilities. We illustrate how the framework has been used to adapt the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) obesity prevention strategies for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.MethodsThe development of inclusion guidelines, recommendations and adaptations for obesity prevention (referred to as GRAIDs – Guidelines, Recommendations, Adaptations Including Disability) consists of five components: (i) a scoping review of the published and grey literature; (ii) an expert workgroup composed of nationally recognized leaders in disability and health promotion who review, discuss and modify the scoping review materials and develop the content into draft GRAIDs; (iii) focus groups with individuals with disabilities and their family members (conducted separately) who provide input on the potential applicability of the proposed GRAIDs in real world settings; (iv) a national consensus meeting with 21 expert panel members who review and vote on a final set of GRAIDs; and (v) an independent peer review of GRAIDs by national leaders from key disability organizations and professional groups through an online web portal.ResultsThis is an ongoing project, and to date, the process has been used to develop 11 GRAIDs to coincide with 11 of the 24 CDC obesity prevention strategies.ConclusionA set of methods and criteria have been developed to allow researchers, practitioners and government agencies to promote inclusive health promotion guidelines, strategies and practices for people with disabilities. Evidence-based programs developed for people without disabilities can now be adapted for people with disabilities using the GRAIDs framework.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-014-0100-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.