Article

Adolescents with intellectual disability experience poorer heath than their
peers in the general population, partially due to communication barriers and
knowledge gaps in their health history.
This study aimed to test a health
intervention package against usual care for a range of health promotion and
disease detection outcomes. METHOD: A parallel-group cluster randomized
controlled trial was conducted with Australian adolescents with intellectual
disability living in the community. Randomization occurred at school level. The
intervention package consisted of classroom-based health education, a hand-held
personalized health record, and a health check. Evidence of health promotion,
disease prevention, and case-finding activities were extracted from general
practitioners' records for 12 months post-intervention. RESULTS: Clinical data
was available for 435 of 592 (73.5%) participants from 85 schools. Adolescents
allocated to receive the health intervention were more likely to have their
vision (odds ratio [OR] 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-6.1) and hearing
(OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.0-7.3) tested, their blood pressure checked (OR 2.4; 95% CI
1.6-3.7), and weight recorded (OR 4.8; 95% CI 3.1-7.6). There was no difference
between health intervention and usual care for identification of new diseases.
INTERPRETATION: The school-based intervention package increased healthcare
activity in adolescents with intellectual disability living in the community.
CI - (c) 2016 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS