Evaluation of a Comprehensive Health-Wellness Intervention on Weight and BMI of Residential Students with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Abstract

Many children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities are overweight and obese, presenting with health risks and poor quality of life. In this study we incorporated a non-concurrent multiple baseline design to evaluate a health and wellness intervention that targeted weight and body mass index (BMI) of five students (11–19 years old) attending a residential school. Intervention was designed and evaluated by a multidisciplinary team comprised of a dietician, nurses, physicians, behavior analysts, educators, and information technology specialists. The key areas of intervention were diet-nutrition, exercise-physical activity, health informatics monitoring, and care provider training. All of the students were classified as obese upon admission to the residential school, achieved normative BMI measures (non-obese) for age and gender within 2–4 months of intervention, and maintained weight loss during periods lasting 16–30 months. Issues of intervention implementation, clinical recommendations, and future research are discussed.