Commentary on “Dietitians’ challenges when consulting to adults with intellectual disabilities”

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider issues around obesity and overweight for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Design/methodology/approach: A review of the literature is provided looking at issues around overweight and obesity for adults with IDs. Both prevalence studies and intervention studies were considered.

Findings:The prevalence of overweight and obesity is considerably higher for adults with IDs when compared to the general population. Intervention studies focusing on multiple components seem to be the most effective. However, future research should focus on randomised control trials taking into consideration the views of people with IDs.

Originality/value: This paper synthesizes some of the available evidence on obesity and overweight for adults with IDs providing clear recommendations for the future.