National Core Indicators Data Brief: Obesity in People with I/DD

Many of our members support people with disabilities who ask for help meeting weight-loss goals, so we share this National Core Indicators Data Highlight to provide some national context on people with disabilities’ weight and health needs. The Data Highlight offers statistics, which we share below, an explanation on why those numbers matter and additional resources on addressing obesity.

“In the 2018-19 NCI In-Person Survey, 30 percent of respondents were determined to have normal or healthy weight based on their body mass index (BMI); 28 percent were considered overweight and 36 percent were considered obese—also based on BMI. Among states, the percentage of respondents considered obese ranged from a low of 29% to a high of 48 percent, and those considered overweight ranged from 23 percent to 35 percent. People who live in ICF/DDs or other institutions were less likely to be obese (25.5 percent) than people who live in their own home or apartment (44.8 percent).”