CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY- EARLY INTERVENTION IS KEY
Intellectual Disability is an area that allied health professionals are learning more and more about. Every year there is more research into intellectual disability and other conditions that are often associated.
We currently know that individual’s with intellectual disability have an increased risk of developing secondary health conditions, some including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These are known as cardiometabolic health conditions. These cardiometabolic conditions can be partially caused by psychotropic medication (they can often cause weight gain for example); however, research also shows that this risk is increased by sedentary lifestyle, obesity, unequal access to preventative healthcare measures and certain genetic syndromes.
A study in 20161 looked into early intervention for individual’s with intellectual disability in order to improve cardiometabolic health and reduce the risk of developing these conditions in the first place. The study designed an easy to use framework that aims to review different aspects of health regularly to ensure the most appropriate care is being given.
The framework addresses the following areas:
· Activity levels
· Diet and lifestyle
· Socioeconomic status
· Blood pressure
· Glucose regulation (blood sugar)
· Cholesterol
· Psychotropic medication
Within each category, it identifies healthy ranges and measurements for everyone to be aware of and recommends providing tailored lifestyle and nutritional interventions as a first line response. For example, for activity levels, it recommends engaging in 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, 5 days per week (150 minutes per week). It also recommends consulting with an Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist to ensure you can safely engage in exercise and ensure that any other health conditions are appropriately looked after. This is important as we know that two thirds of adults with intellectual disability are not reaching the guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week2. Research has also shown that regular engagement in exercise can reduce the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the first place!
The framework also gives good insight into when we should be monitoring the above categories. This is super important as regular monitoring can help to identify issues early, allowing us to seek the right intervention for every individual. For example, the framework recommends monitoring lifestyle factors including smoking, alcohol, diet and physical activity, initially and then again at 3,6,9 and 12 months post the initial measurement. This regular monitoring can be extremely useful in order to check whether we are staying within healthy ranges.
A link to the framework is below, check it out!
Here at Aevum Physiotherapy, we know that every individual deserves to be the best version of themselves. We currently know that individual’s with intellectual disability do have a higher risk of cardiometabolic conditions, but we also know what the benefits are for early intervention, especially with exercise. Our Exercise Physiologist’s and Physiotherapist’s are full of knowledge about all things intellectual disability and are here to help you be the best version of you. Aevum is also the largest NDIS Provider in the Sutherland Shire and St George area!
If you would like to know more about how exercise is beneficial for intellectual disability and the benefits of early intervention, give us a call on 8544 3231 to book in with one of our Exercise Physiologist’s or Physiotherapist’s.
Written by Leah Harapas - Exercise Physiologist
References:
1. Trollor, J., Salomon, C., Curtis, J., Watkins, A., Rosenbaum, S., Samaras, K., & Ward, P. B. (2016). Positive cardiometabolic health for adults with intellectual disability: an early intervention framework. Australian journal of primary health, 22(4), 288-293.
2. Oviedo, G., Travier, N., & Guerra-Balic, M. (2017). Sedentary and physical activity patterns in adults with intellectual disability. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(9), 1027.