Overview

Children with intellectual disabilities and/or physical limitations may be at even greater risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease due to less exposure to physical activity and health promotion programs than adolescents without disabilities. Between 2004 and 2007, Be A Fit Kid was offered to adolescents with disabilities at one southern Oregon middle school. The physical activity component of the program emphasized cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and bone development through running, yoga, and strength exercises. All activities were individualized and noncompetitive. Adolescents were motivated by an incentive program which awarded them with fitness tokens (purchased from Fitness Finders) as they met their individual goals and accumulated laps on the track. The nutrition component focused on current dietary guidelines that emphasize a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, unsaturated fats, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat and sugar. Healthy food tasting, healthy food raffle prizes, and a field trip to a grocery store reinforced the nutrition information delivered during the program.