Predictors of Obesity in a US Sample of High School Adolescents With and Without Disabilities.
Mia A Papas, Jillian C Trabulsi, Michelle Axe and 1 others
PMID 27714868WHAT IT FOUND
High school students who reported a disability had 16% obesity versus 10% in peers, plus lower activity and more fasting, diet pills, vomiting or laxatives.
Screen weight-control risk and ask about activity access.
Key findings
01Adolescents with a disability had obesity more often than peers: 16% versus 10%, OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.3-2.1).
02They met physical activity guidelines less often: 38% versus 52%, OR 0.5 (95% CI 0.4-0.6).
03They reported more fasting (20% versus 9%), diet pills (11% versus 4%), and vomiting or laxatives (12% versus 3%) than peers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 4 states were analysed, so the results may not apply to all US adolescents. The survey was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether disability, behaviours, or obesity came first. Students self-reported height, weight, diet, activity, and weight-control behaviours, so measurement error is possible. Disability was one broad yes/no category, combining physical, health, emotional, and learning problems, so specific disability groups cannot be separated. Students who could not answer the survey without assistance may be missing, so youth with more severe cognitive or developmental disabilities may not be represented. Underweight students were excluded, so the findings do not apply to underweight youth or all youth with major chronic conditions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that disability causes obesity or that changing diet and activity will reduce obesity. This survey measured associations at one time, and students self-reported height, weight, disability, diet, activity, and weight-control behaviors.