Learning difficulties and obesity rates

Several studies find that individuals with learning difficulties are at a higher risk of being outside the ‘healthy’ weight range. This can present differently in different individuals, either being underweight, or overweight/obese.

Why are people with Down’s syndrome overweight?

While this certainly isn’t true of everyone with Down’s syndrome, there is a large proportion of the community who do struggle with their weight. This can be due to a range of factors, such as overeating, lack of exercise, hypothyroidism, poor muscle tone, hormonal differences, and issues with metabolism. While there is a limit on the number of concrete studies to show exactly where the links are between Down’s syndrome and weight issues, it’s clear that this is an issue in the community. This becomes a particularly important issue for those with Down’s syndrome because some implications of being overweight overlap with some of the issues typically associated with Down’s syndrome.

What are the implications of being overweight for those with learning difficulties?

These weight issues can cause both physical and mental ramifications.

For those with Down’s syndrome, being overweight contributes to heath issues which typically present in those with Down’s syndrome, such as cardiac and respiratory issues, including sleep apnoea. Being overweight and unhealthy is known to have damaging effects on mental well-being, self-confidence, and more. It’s crucial to encourage physical activity and eating well at a young age to foster these healthy habits to take into an independent adulthood.

Although there may be differences for people with learning difficulties when it comes to the prevalence of weight issues, typical ways of staying healthy, such as exercise and eating healthily, are useful for these individuals. Learning for Life is here to provide strategies to support the community in these areas.

How can I help my child lose weight? What is Learning for Life doing to help give students strategies to be healthy?

Learning for Life is presenting parent carers, teachers, and support staff with a practical set of resources for encouraging exercise in those with Down’s syndrome and other learning difficulties. The ‘How To… Be Healthy’ series enhances the understanding of health as explored in the ‘Being Healthy’ series by providing practical versions of this teaching. The first part of this series is all about being active and brings the Down’s syndrome community together to lead a set of videos on different exercises. There’s something for everyone, from yoga or Zumba to strength training, all taught by or alongside members of the Down’s syndrome community and professionals, such as Joe from Inclusive Sport, or the team at Tailfeather Dance.

Crucially, these videos are fun, inclusive, and varied; young people with a variety of learning difficulties can use these videos and take great benefit from them.

In the coming months, the ‘How To… Be Healthy’ series will cover the other key elements of being healthy - eating well and looking after ourselves. Providing the theoretical and practical knowledge on how to independently care for themselves and their health will provide individuals with learning difficulties the skills to be responsible for keeping themselves healthy.

Sources:

University of Bristol: 2103_Nutrition_PDF.pdf (bristol.ac.uk)

Gov.uk: Obesity and weight management for people with learning disabilities: guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

NHS: Managing weight with a learning disability - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

NDSS: Nutrition | National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS)

National Library of Medicine: Weight management recommendations for youth with Down syndrome: Expert recommendations - PMC (nih.gov)