Prevalence of Obesity Among Mentally Retarded Adults

The prevalence of obesity was determined for 1,152 mentally retarded subjects from four settings. The findings confirmed that obesity was a prevalent condition, with more females than males obese and more mildly to moderately retarded individuals than severely to profoundly retarded persons obese. The prevalence of obesity was also observed to increase generally with age in this sample, although not in a direct linear fashion

Enhancing the Incidental Learning of EMR Children

Type I incidental learning of mentally retarded children was investigated. Four orienting-instruction conditions and two tasks (two and three dimensions) were used. One orienting-instruction condition was found to be superior for enhancing incidental learning. This task-specific strategy continued to produce the best incidental learning during a 24-hour follow-up session. The results were discussed in terms of recent memory models. Directions for future research were delineated

Multicomponent Behavioral Program for Achieving Weight Loss in Adult Mentally Retarded Persons

Only minimal attention has been directed towards demonstrating the effectiveness of behavioral approaches to weight control with mentally retarded individuals (Foreyt & Parks, 1975; Foxx, 1972; Staugatis, 1978). The paucity of research in this area is unfortunate because the association between intelligence and obesity is high and negative (Krege, Zelina, Juhas & Garbara, 1947). The purpose of the present study was to assess whether a multicomponent behavioral weight reduction treatment program could produce and maintain weight loss overweight formerly institutionalized adult retarded individuals residing in a community-living facility

Behavioral Treatment Approaches to Obesity: Successes with the Nonretarded and Retarded

This article discusses the successful use of behavioral approaches, which have been adopted from research with non-retarded individuals, to the treatment of obese retarded individuals. The first section delineates a variety of approaches with non-retarded obese individuals whereas the second section summarizes the efficacy of these approaches with the obese retarded. The last section discusses practical and future research implications

Obesity of Mentally Retarded Individuals: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Intervention

Research on the prevalence, characteristics, and treatment of obesity of mentally retarded individuals within the context of research findings with the obese nonretarded population was selectively reviewed. According to the available literature, obesity is a prevalent problem in the retarded population, and there is a greater incidence among females than males. The literature also suggests that obese retarded subjects as a group can be distinguished from their nonobese peers by their physical condition, but not by their eating style or personality characteristics. Behavioral self-control strategies have been found to be effective in producing weight loss in obese retarded children and adults. Further research is needed to reduce the high interindividual variability observed in treatment outcome studies and to address problems of long-term maintenance of weight loss

Eating Behavior of Obese and Nonobese Retarded Adults

An obese group and a nonobese group of moderately mentally retarded adults were identified through use of body weight and tricep skinfold thickness measures. Subjects were observed individually in a sheltered workshop cafeteria during their normal lunch period. A variety of eating behavior measureswere obtained. Results indicated that the obese retarded subjects did not differ from their nonobese peers in eating rate, total meal time, or caloric intake. Large variability was observed in the measures for both groups. Implications of these data for behavioral treatments of obesity and the need for alternative explanations of an obese condition were discussed

Adherence to Weight Control Techniques and Weight Loss: A Case Study

A multiple baseline design across four behaviors was used to assess the effectiveness of a self-monitoring behavioral weight reduction program. The four behaviors were (1) the number of arm lifts used to direct food and liquid, other than water, into the mouth, (2) the number of minutes the subject engaged in daily exercise, (3a) the number of meals eaten per day, and (3b) the number of balanced meals eaten per day. The subject involved in this study was a 22-year-old male graduate student who was approximately 25 pounds overweight. At the completion of the study the subject lost a total of 19 pounds, at a rate of 1.73 pounds per week, over an eleven-week period. The results indicated that a self-monitoring behavioral weight reduction program was effective in reducing the weight in a 22-year-old male graduate student. A follow-up check six months later revealed an additional nine-pound weight loss. The study emphasized the need for reliability checkers in the natural environment to increase the dieter\u27s adherence to weight control techniques

Appropriate Classification of Obesity in Mentally Retarded Adults

Triceps skinfold thickness and body weight measures were obtained for 44 female and 40 male mentally retarded adults participating in a sheltered workshop setting. Subiects\u27 relative weights and skinfold thicknesses were found to correlate reasonably well for females and males, rs = .88 and .59, respectively. Use of only height and weight tables for determining the presence of obesity, however, resulted in 22.5 percent of the males and 13 .7 percent of the females being misclassified as nonobese. The distinction between overweight and obesity was discussed. Clinical/research implications of the findings were delineated

Treatment of Obesity in Mentally Retarded Persons: The Rehabilitator\u27s Role

Obesity is a common problem for the mentally retarded and nonretarded populations. Prevalence estimates ranging from 40 to 80 million obese Americans have been reported. The relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and other health related problems is strong. Also, the greater the degree of obesity, the higher the risk of medical problems. In addition to the health problems associated with obesity, the obese mentally retarded person is likely to be the object of increased social prejudice and nonacceptance as a result of being mentally retarded and obese. Fortunately, this solution does not need to be an intractable one. Van Itallie cited studies reporting a positive influence for weight reduction on health. Another treatment goal has been enhanced self-esteem. Given these promising outcomes for weight reduction, the field of obesity has witnessed an explosion of diet programs and exercise regimes to promote weight loss. These programs have varied in their initial success but nearly all have failed to produce long-term maintenance of weight loss. The application of behavioral procedures to the problem of obesity has produced more promising results. This approach has also been successfully extended to the mentally retarded population. This article describes the treatment rationale and procedures for a behavioral self-control package that has been developed for the obese retarded population. Implications of this approach for professionals concerned with rehabilitation efforts for mentally retarded persons will be delineated