IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 409: A Settings and Systems Approach to Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of People with an Intellectual Disability

IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 409: A Settings and Systems Approach to Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of People with an Intellectual Disability International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040409 Authors: Andrew Joyce Research has shown that people with an intellectual disability have higher rates of certain preventable health conditions and a higher rate of avoidable mortality relative to the general population. With respect to health behaviours, they also have lower levels of physical activity and poorer nutrition. Despite the increased health needs, this population cohort is less likely to have the opportunity to participate in health promotion programs. The interventions that have been delivered are programmatic and individual in focus and have lacked a broader ecological and settings focus, which makes them very difficult to scale. Health promotion programs designed for the general population, such as lifestyle campaigns, rarely reach people with an intellectual disability. This increases the importance of ensuring that the settings in which they live and engage with are as health promoting as possible. Interventions have been particularly absent in the workplace for people with an intellectual disability. This paper highlights gaps in a settings-and-systems-based approach to promoting the health and wellbeing of people with an intellectual disability, particularly with respect to workplace health promotion. The paper conclud...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research