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1. Introduction
There is a high prevalence of obesity among children with disabilities and special needs, which is increasingly recognized as an international phenomenon and one that requires active intervention to address. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that children with disabilities were 38% more likely to be obese than other children [1]. The overall prevalence levels of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have been found to range from 11% to 24.5% for overweight and from 7% to 36% for obesity [2]. Obesity is a significant health concern for children with disabilities, and many children with disabilities grow into obese adults with all the associated chronic health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease [3,4,5].
Based on the principles of the Health Belief Model [6], children with IDs have difficulty recognizing and reporting early signs and symptoms of their own health problems, which may lead to delays in treatment [7,8]. It has been reported that people with IDs show poor participation in health care, which may lead to increased morbidity and mortality rates in this vulnerable group in society at large [9,10].
Research has shown that people with IDs have less access to healthcare services due to the poorly equipped health workforce [11,12,13], and because poor health literacy among people with IDs leaves family members’ incompetent to provide relevant health information and support changing behaviors [14,15]. Thus, obesity adds an additional layer of difficulty for both them and their parents. This has significant implications for their health and well-being as they age, which is why early intervention to reduce further complications associated with obesity is very important in healthcare planning. The CDC has estimated that the healthcare costs of obesity related to disabilities reach $44 billion each year [1].
Little research has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of strategies involving parents in the weight management of children and adolescents with IDs. Parents play an important role in enhancing the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors and regular physical activity by children and adolescents with IDs. They are the key persons in preparing and supporting the adoption of these healthy lifestyle behaviors. They act as role models who reinforce and monitor their children’s health behaviors in the home setting. There...