Youth With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities At Higher Risk For Chronic Health Conditions

Among youth ages 6 to 17 with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), a study found significantly higher risks for chronic health conditions. Those with I/DD were 6.8 times as likely to have prediabetes, 2.67 times as likely to have diabetes, and 6.4 times as likely to have high blood pressure, compared with youth without an I/DD diagnosis.

Obesity (3.8 times as likely) and high lipid counts (3.5 times as likely) were also more prevalent among youth with an I/DD diagnosis than those without one. Youth with an I/DD diagnosis were . . .