Table 1.

Summary of obesity interventions targeting youth with intellectual disabilities conducted between January 2006 and October 2016 (n = 10).

Author/year/country	Participants	Study design//intervention strategy/groups	Duration/intervention activities	Outcome	Intervention effects
Ordonez et al. (2006) Spain	ntotal = 22 Age: 16.2 ± 1 years ID level: mild Comorbidity: DS (n = 22)	Design: Pre and posttest Techniques: PA Groups: Tx	Intervention: 12 weeks Follow-up: none Description: water and land aerobic exercise Session length: (a) 30 min (weeks: 1–2), (b) 45 min (weeks: 3–4), and (c) 60 min (weeks: 5–12) Frequency: 3 times/week	Body weight and composition: weight and fat mass (kg and %) Health related: NM	• Significant reduction in weight and fat mass (kg and %) from baseline
Ozmen et al. (2007) Turkey	ntotal = 30 Age: 8–15 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity: NR	Design: RCT Techniques: PA Groups: (1) Tx, PA 3 times/week (n = 16) and (2) Cnt (n = 14)	Intervention: 10 weeks Follow-up: none Description: walking, interval training, and recreational activity Session length: 60 min Frequency: 3 times/week (Tx); None (Cnt)	Body weight and composition: Fat mass (%) Health related: physical fitness (20-MST)	• No change in percent body fat in Tx or Cnt from baselinelncrease in 20-MST for Tx versus Cnt
Elmahgoub et al. (2009) Belgium	ntotal 30 Age: 14–22 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity: FXS (n = 16) and ASD (n = 14)	Design: RCT Techniques: PA Groups: (1) Tx, PA 3 times/week (n = 15) and (2) Cnt (n = 15)	Intervention: 10 weeks Follow-up: none Description: strength and endurance training Session length: 50 min Frequency of sessions: 3 times/ week	Body weight and composition: weight, BMI, WC, and fat mass (kg) Health related: physical and cardiovascular fitness and health	• Decrease among Tx in weight, BMI, WC, and fat mass; no change in Cnt • Increase in fat-free mass in Tx • Increase in PW, 6MWD, HG, MFR, MS- UL, MS-LL, and sit to stand in Tx • Improvement in Chi, Tri, HDL, and LDL in Tx
Casey et al. (2010) Canada	ntotal = 8 Age: 9–17 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity: DS (n = 3) and ASD (n = 1)	Design: Pre and posttest Techniques: PA Groups: Tx	Intervention: 16 weeks Follow-up: none Description: swim and dry land training Session length: 60 min Frequency of sessions: 3 times/week	Body weight and composition: fat mass (%) Health related: NM	• Increase in fat mass (%) from baseline
Elmahgoub et al. (2011) Belgium	ntotal = 45 Age: 14–22 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity:FXS (n = 16), FAS (n = 2), PWi (n = 2), HCP (n = 3), PDD (n = 5), SS (n = 2), and MD1 (n = 3)	Design: Quasi Techniques: PA Groups: (1) Tx1 2 times/week (n = 15), (2) Tx2 3 times/week (n = 15), and (3) Cnt (n = 15)	Intervention: 10 (Tx2) to 15 (Tx1) weeks Follow-up: none Description: strength and endurance training Session length: 50 min Frequency of sessions: 2 times/week (Tx2) and 3 times/ week (Tx1)	Body weight and composition: weight, BMI, WC, and fat mass (kg) Health related: physical and cardiovascular fitness and health	• Decrease in weight, BMI, EC, and fat mass (kg) in Tx1; nonsignificant decreases in Tx2; no change in Cnt • Increase in PW, 6MWD, HG, MFR, MS- UL, MS-LL, and sit to stand in Tx1 versus Cnt • Improvement in Chi, HDL, and LDL in Txi versus Cnt • Significant increase in MS-LL in Tx1 versus Tx2
Gonzâlez- Agüero et al. (2011) Spain	ntotal = 26 Age: 10–19 years ID level: NM Comorbidity: DS (n = 26)	Design: RCT Techniques: PA Groups: (1) Tx (n = 13) and (2) Cnt (n = 13)	Intervention: 21 weeks Follow-up: none Description: conditioning and plyometric training Session length: 25 min Frequency of sessions: 2 times/week	Body weight and composition: weight, BMI, and fat mass (kg and %) Health related: NM	• Increase in weight, BMI, and fat mass (kg and %) from baseline in Tx
Hinckson et al. (2013) New Zealand	ntotal = 17 Age: 7–21 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity: DS (n = 2), ASD (n = 7), and GDD (n = 4)	Design: Pre and posttest Techniques: PA and health education Groups: Tx	Intervention: 10 weeks Follow-up: 24 weeks Description: (1) PA, (2) healthy eating, and (3) motivational skills Session length: (1) 120 min and (2) and (3) 60 min Frequency of sessions: 2 times/week	Body weight and composition: BMI and WC Health related: physical fitness and healthy lifestyle (nutrition, PA, and screen time)	• No significant difference in BMI, WC, PF, PA, or SB from baseline to posttest and follow-up • Only 6MWD indicated a possibly positive result at follow-up • Decrease in reported consumption of chocolate and confectionary from baseline to follow-up
Wallen et al. (2013) Sweden	ntotal = 14 Age: 16.6–18.8 years ID level: mild to mod Comorbidity: DS (n = 4)	Design: Quasi Techniques: PA, nutrition, and health education Groups: (1) Tx and (2) historical comparison	Intervention: 2 years Follow-up: none Description: (1) daily PA, (2) nutrition policy, (3) low- cost healthy food, and (4) monthly health bulletin and annual 3-day camp to practice healthy lifestyle patterns Session length: (1) 60/30 min Frequency of sessions: (1) 60 min 3 days/week; 30 min 2 days/ week, and (4) monthly and annually	Body weight and composition: BMI, WC, and fat mass (%) Health related: cardiovascular health and VO2max	• No significant difference in Tx for BMI, WC, and body fat (%) from baseline • Decrease in DBP in Tx • Decrease in mean body fat (%) in Tx than historical comparison
Salaun et al. (2014) France	ntotal = 23 Age: 6–18 years ID level: mild Comorbidity: NR	Design:Pre and posttest Techniques: PA Groups:Tx	Intervention: 9 months Follow-up: none Description:Aerobic PA and strength training Session length: (a) 30 min (weeks 1–10), (b) 30 and 50 min (weeks 11–20), and (c) 45 and 60 min (weeks 21–30) Frequency of sessions:2 times/week	Body weight and composition: BMI, WC, and fat mass (%) Health related: self-perception measures	• No significant difference in Tx for BMI, WC, and body fat (%) from baseline • Decrease in Tx WC and percent fat from baseline • Decrease in body image dissatisfaction following intervention
Ptomey et al. (2015) USA	ntotal = 20 Age: 11–18 years ID level: mild to moderate Comorbidity: ASD (n = 9), DS (n = 8), and other (n = 3)	Design: RCT Techniques: diet and health education Groups: (1) Tx (n = 10) and (2) cnt (n = 10)	Intervention: 8 weeks Follow-up: none Description: (1) portion controlled meals with video chat education sessions and (2) education sessions and instructed to consume nutritionally balanced diet Session length: 90-min initial, 30-min subsequent Frequency of sessions: weekly	Body weight and composition: BMI, and WC Health related:PA, energy intake, and diet quality	• Reduction in weight in Tx; no difference between groups • Decrease in sedentary activity time, caloric intake, and empty calorie consumption in Tx • Increased reduction of energy intake in Tx as versus Cnt

Note. NM: not mentioned; PA: physical activity; 20-MST: 20-m shuttle-run test; Cnt: control group; FXS: fragile-X syndrome; ASD: autism spectrum disorder; RCT: randomized control trial; BMI: body mass index; WC: waist circumference; PW: peak power; 6MWD: 6-min walk distance; HG: hand grip; MFR: muscle fatigue resistance; MS-UL: maximal strength upper limbs; MS-LL: maximal strength lower limbs; Tx: treatment group; Chl: total cholesterol; Tri: triglycerides; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; DS: down syndrome; FAS: fetal alcohol syndrome; HCP: hydrocephalus; PDD: pervasive development disorder; PWi: Prader–Willi syndrome; SS: Sotos syndrome; MD1: myotonic dystrophy 1; MWD: minute walk distance; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; GDD: global developmental delay; ID: intellectual disability; NR: not reported; PF: physical fitness; SD: sedentary behavior; kg: kilograms; η²: eta-squared.