Spanning borders: Health disparities in persons with intellectual disabilities in 159 nations

Introduction

People with intellectual disabilities have poorer health, more specialized health care needs, and greater difficulty accessing health care services and doctors compared to the general public (Krahn et. al, 2006). Special Olympics created a Healthy Athletes® program to provide its athletes with health screenings and referrals for follow-up care. Data collected on athletes at these events has been aggregated into the single largest database on the health of persons with intellectual disabilities worldwide.

Methods

The current Healthy Athletes database contains screening results for over 64,000 athletes in 159 countries. Data on physical fitness and vision, hearing, oral, bone, and podiatric health have been collected.

Results

Screened athletes experienced significant secondary health conditions and reported poor access to health care. At the last three Special Olympics World Games, for example, 9,500 athletes from 159 countries were screened. Within this group 19% failed hearing tests, 42% had untreated tooth decay, and 36% had not had any eye exam in 3 or more years. Access to specialty care for this population, such as optometry and dentistry, is lower in the developing world than in developed countries; 57% of athletes in Africa, for example, had not had an eye exam in 3+ years, compared to 36% worldwide.

Discussion

These Healthy Athletes data document a wide range of health concerns among people with intellectual disabilities. While certain concerns are greater in developing countries where access to specialty care is generally low, these health concerns manifest themselves in every world region.