Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are aging with chronic health issues. However, little is known about the racial disparities in chronic health conditions among adults with IDD. Do racial and ethnic minority adults with IDD experience elevated risk of chronic health conditions like in the general population? How do…

Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities often have hypertension and mental illness, and are prescribed medications for treatment. This study examined psychotropic medication adherence as a mediator between the association of residence type and antihypertensive medication adherence for adults with intellectual or developmental…

This study describes antipsychotic use and metabolic monitoring rates among individuals with developmental disabilities enrolled in a subspecialty medical home (N = 826). Four hundred ninety-nine participants (60.4%) were taking antipsychotics, which was associated with male gender (p = 0.01), intellectual disability with and without autism…

Background: People with developmental disabilities experience worse health than typically developing peers. This health differential is often described in terms of health disparities, which refers to differences caused or exacerbated by social or access issues. Objective: the goal of this study was to compare the weight status and health…

The present study tested whether parents caring for children with developmental disabilities would have higher blood pressure compared to parents of typically developing children (controls). It also examined the psychosocial factors underlying this observation. Thirty-five parents of children with developmental disability and thirty controls…

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity and reduced cardio-respiratory fitness. However, there is limited data using laboratory measures for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with DCD. The purpose of this study was to examine…

Background: To explore the prevalence of obesity and related secondary conditions associated with obesity in adolescents with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD). Methods: In total, 461 parents of adolescents with IDD (M = 14.9 year, SD = 1.9) across 49 US states completed a web-based survey containing questions related to their child's…

The health status of 206 female caregivers supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at home was investigated using objective (i.e., presence of chronic health conditions and activity limitations) and subjective (i.e., self-perceived health status) health measures compared with those of women in the general population in 2…

Investigated whether a community based fitness program could help improve the fitness levels of adults with developmental disabilities (predominantly mental retardation) and promote fitness and exercise. Pretest-posttest data indicated that personalized social support increased participant compliance and motivation, adaptations in routines helped…