Inactivity Obesity among people who are learning disabled

Inactivity & Obesity among people who are learning disabled Arrange an in-house training seminar Dear Colleague The Disability Rights Commission’s formal investigation 2006 (1) into health inequalities is the most recent report stressing the need to address the obesity epidemic within the learning disabled population. The only effective, large scale and long term weight loss intervention it quotes is the research (2) produced by Manchester Learning Disability Partnership’s Fighting Fit project in 2005. This initiative was cited as an example of a quality assured service by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 2004 (3), and received the National Obesity Forum’s finalist award for excellence in weight management in 2003 (4). The project has received several hundred thousand pounds of external funding in recent years to support its development, and a service culture continues to grow in which healthy living is given the priority it deserves. Mike Craven is a clinical specialist physiotherapist and has co-ordinated the Fighting Fit project since 2000. He has delivered training seminars on this subject for the past six years, both internally and at venues and events across the country. For more information or to arrange an in-house seminar tailored to your requirements contact Mike at ioseminars@fsmail. net 1. 2. (1) www. drc. gov. uk/docs/Learning_disability_effectiveness_review_executive_summary. doc (2) Chapman, M. , Craven, M. & Chadwick, D. (2005) ‘Fighting Fit? An evaluation of health practitioner input to improve healthy living and reduce obesity for adults with learning disabilities’ Journal of Intellectual Disabilities 9 (2) 131 – 144. (3) www. csp. org. uk/uploads/documents/csp_sep_4. pdf (4) www. nationalobesityforum. org. uk Recommended reading: ‘Exercise for People with Learning Disabilities’ (Health. EX Specialist magazine, issue 6, Oct 05 – www. sportex. net)