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. 2022 Mar;35(2):488-494.
doi: 10.1111/jar.12958. Epub 2021 Oct 26.

Diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning

David A A Gast  1   2 , Gabriela L C de Wit  1 , Amber van Hoof  3 , Jeanne H M de Vries  3 , Bert van Hemert  1 , Robert Didden  4   5 , Erik J Giltay  1
Affiliations

Diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning

David A A Gast et al. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Background: We sought to assess diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning, living in residential facilities or receiving day care.

Methods: We measured diet quality using the Dutch Healthy Diet Food Frequency Questionnaire (DHD) and compared this between participants with (n = 151) and controls without intellectual disabilities (n = 169). Potential correlates of diet quality were explored.

Results: We found lower mean diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities (M = 80.9) compared to controls (M = 111.2; mean adjusted difference -28.4; 95% CI [-32.3, -24.5]; p < .001). Participants with borderline intellectual functioning and mild intellectual disabilities had lower diet quality and higher body mass index than individuals with severe to profound intellectual disabilities. Being female was a predictor of better diet quality.

Conclusions: Overall, we found that diet quality was low in the sample of people with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning.

Keywords: body mass index; borderline intellectual functioning; diet quality; intellectual disabilities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Frequency questionnaire (DHD) score of participants with intellectual disabilities and controls and their adjusted differences. DHD, Dutch Healthy Diet Food Frequency Questionnaire
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Predictors of diet quality in people with intellectual disabilities, crude and adjusted means and crude and adjusted betas with Forest plots. BIF, borderline intellectual functioning; BMI, body mass index; IQ, intelligence quotient
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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