The State of the Science of Health and Wellness for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Historically, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have experienced health disparities related to several factors including: a lack of access to high quality medical care, inadequate preparation of health care providers to meet their needs, the social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, race and gender), and the failure to include people with IDD in public health efforts and other prevention activities. Over the past decade, a greater effort has been made to both identify and begin to address myriad health disparities experienced by people with IDD through a variety of activities including programs that address health lifestyles and greater attention to the training of health care providers. Gaps in the literature include the lack of intervention trials, replications of successful approaches, and data that allow for better comparisons between people with IDD and without IDD living in the same communities. Implications for future research needed to reduce health disparities for people with IDD include: better monitoring and treatment for chronic conditions common in the general population that are also experienced by people with IDD, an enhanced understanding of how to promote health among those in the IDD population who are aging, addressing the health needs of people with IDD who are not part of the disability service system, developing a better understanding of how to include people with IDD in health and wellness programs, and improving methods for addressing the health care needs of members of this group in an efficient and cost-effective manner, either through better access to general medical care or specialized programs

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Doing, Being, and Belonging: A Photo Elicitation on the Meaning of Well-being of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2019. Major: Rehabilitation Science. Advisor: Peggy Martin. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 120 pages.Adults with Intellectual and developmental disabilities disproportionately experience poverty, social isolation, and may have more co-occurring chronic health conditions than the general population. Interventions aimed at improving health outcomes for people with IDD typically focus on physical activity, with few considering other causes of poorer health outcomes. Few interventions address health from a holistic perspective. This study adds a better understanding of what is important to adults with IDD think about wellness. Understanding the day to day experiences of people with IDD can improve interventions and supports. A descriptive qualitative research approach was used to answer the research question “How do adults with IDD describe health and wellness?” Photo elicitation was used to develop narratives from ten adults with IDD to provide a qualitative description of health and wellness. Three themes emerged from this narrative: Doing, Being, and Belonging. These three themes highlight the importance of meaningful activities, positive self-identity, and social inclusion as key factors contributing to overall well-being. Recommendations for future research include the use of research techniques such as photography that promote the inclusion of people with IDD in research. Photo narrative proved to be an effective tool for including people with IDD in this project, allowing participants to share their full experience. Further research should consider upstream factors for health disparities and should consider individual and community level investigations on how best to enhance the environments in which people with IDD live and work and how these environments affect their health

The State of the Science of Health and Wellness for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Historically, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have experienced health disparities related to several factors including: a lack of access to high quality medical care, inadequate preparation of health care providers to meet their needs, the social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, race and gender), and the failure to include people with IDD in public health efforts and other prevention activities. Over the past decade, a greater effort has been made to both identify and begin to address myriad health disparities experienced by people with IDD through a variety of activities including programs that address health lifestyles and greater attention to the training of health care providers. Gaps in the literature include the lack of intervention trials, replications of successful approaches, and data that allow for better comparisons between people with IDD and without IDD living in the same communities. Implications for future research needed to reduce health disparities for people with IDD include: better monitoring and treatment for chronic conditions common in the general population that are also experienced by people with IDD, an enhanced understanding of how to promote health among those in the IDD population who are aging, addressing the health needs of people with IDD who are not part of the disability service system, developing a better understanding of how to include people with IDD in health and wellness programs, and improving methods for addressing the healthcare needs of members of this group in an efficient and cost-effective manner, either through better access to general medical care or specialized programs

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Note: A full list of authors and affiliations appears at the end of the article. Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P 20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.</p