Observed dietary intake in adults with intellectual disability living in the community

• Background: Knowledge is lacking about dietary habits among people with intellectual disability (ID) living in community residences under new living conditions.Objective: To describe the dietary habits of individuals with ID living in community residences, focusing on intake of food, energy and nutrients as well as meal patterns.Design: Assisted food records and physical activity records over a 3-day observation period for 32 subjects.Results: Great variation was observed in daily energy intake (4.9-14 MJ) dispersed across several meals, with on average 26% of the energy coming from in-between-meal consumption. Main energy sources were milk products, bread, meat products, buns and cakes. The daily intake of fruit and vegetables (320_221 g) as well as dietary fiber (21_99.6 g) was generally low. For four vitamins and two minerals, 19-34% of subjects showed an intake below average requirement (AR). The physical activity level (PAL) was low for all individuals (1.4_0.1).Conclusion: A regular meal pattern with a relatively high proportion of energy from in-between-meal eating occasions and a low intake of especially fruits were typical of this group of people with ID. However, the total intake of energy and other food items varied a great deal between individuals. Thus, every adult with ID has to be treated as an individual with specific needs. A need for more knowledge about food in general and particularly how fruit and vegetables could be included in cooking as well as encouraged to be eaten as inbetween-meals seems imperative in the new living conditions for adults with ID.

Subject headings

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Livsmedelsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Food Science (hsv//eng)

Keyword

diet

food record

dietary habits

fruit and vegetable

intellectual disability

community residence

Domestic science and nutrition

Hushålls- och kostvetenskap

Näringslära

Nutrition

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)