School Intervention With Daily Physical Activity and Healthy Food for Students With an Intellectual Disability.

School Intervention With Daily Physical Activity and Healthy Food for Students With an Intellectual Disability.

Region Stockholm, City of Stockholm Competence Fund, Lindeparkens upper secondary school for intellectual disability students, Mälardalen University, Health Care Sciences Postgraduate School at the Karolinska Institutet

A whole of school intervention with daily physical activity and healthy food for students with intellectual disabilities. The aim is to provide plenty of concrete examples of healthy life style choices and using school personnel and peers as role models. This will presumably result in healthier weight, better fitness and not least in new familiar healthy habits.

Youth with an intellectual disability are reported more sedentary and more often overweight than non intellectual disability youth. Cardio metabolic risk factors are observed more frequent and at an earlier age among young people with intellectual disability. The school reaches all students and they spend the main part of their day in the school milieu hence examples of healthy lifestyle can be provided there. This intervention increased physical activity with daily scheduled physical activity. At least one lesson each week was at the gym. Food provided in the school environment was considered from content of sugar and fat and ónly healthy food choices was available at school. This included all school activities, both in the school area and on school activities out in the community. It included home economic lessons as well as the school cafeterias supply and school lunch content. To increase vegetable intake a special designed plate was used for lunch according the "plate model". In addition, the plate model was one theme during art class.

learning disability, blood lipids, cardio metabolic risk factors, upper secondary school for learning disability students, adolescents, cardio respiratory fitness, absorptiometry photos

At baseline and after 2 years of intervention; height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure was measured. In addition fasting blood samples of total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose and insulin. Absorptiometry photos (DXA) for body composition. Postintervention measures in addition compared to a controlgroup. Cross sectional data on all school students of all above mentioned variables and also cholesterol as HDL and LDL compared to a control group.

At baseline and after 2 years of intervention a submaximal ergometer bicycle test. Postintervention measures in addition compared to a controlgroup. Cross sectional data on all school students from accelerometer, actiwatch, for frequency, intensity and level of physical activity compared to a control group.

To measure if the special plate made students take 37,5% vegetables or more as is the vegetable field on the plate.Effect of the specially designed plate according the plate-model evaluates in an observational study with videorecording and photos of a self served lunchportion on an ordinary plate in an experimental situation.

Inclusion Criteria: mild/moderate intellectual disability students at the upper secondary schools for intellectual disability students Exclusion Criteria: severe intellectual disability obesity related syndromes major physical disabilities

Karolinska Institutet, Department of clinical science, intervention and technology. Division of pediatrics, B62