Community-based health promotion programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD): Train the trainer model to improve health status and nutrition

People with I/DD are excluded from many community-based health promotion programs and receive little support to promote their health and nutritional status. This study examines the impact of a community-based health promotion program to improve health and nutrition outcomes of adults with I/DD. Staff in community-based organizations were given 8 hours of training to start and implement a 12-week health education and physical activity program personalized to needs of their clients with I/DD. Participants with I/DD, including 67 adults ages 30 years and older (35 females, 32 males, M age = 45 years) were randomized into intervention (n = 32) or control group (n = 35). Intervention group participated in a 12-week, 3 days per week, exercise and health education program. Assessments were conducted immediately before and after the program. Compared to controls, intervention group showed significant changes in physiological and psychosocial health status, including improved total cholesterol (f = 4.26; p < .05) and glucose levels (f = 7.31; p < .01), improved flexibility (f = 8.10; p < .01), self-efficacy to exercise (f = 7.10; p < .01), increased social environmental supports for exercise (f = 24.7; p < .001) and nutrition (f=8.33; p<0.01), and improvement in waist to hip ratio. Changes were also significant for nutrition knowledge and healthier eating habits. Results suggest the benefits of train-the-trainer model for CBO staff to implement health promotion programs and provide social and environmental supports for adults with I/DD to improve health and nutrition outcomes.