By National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant diet-related health disparities, such as higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, compared to those among the general population.
These disparities are shaped by systemic barriers, including a lack of accessible nutrition education materials that are designed to meet diverse cognitive and learning needs. Nutrition materials and guidance often rely on dense text, abstract concepts, and numeracy skills. Furthermore, nutrition education is often not practical to the real-world needs of many individuals with IDD.
Based on data collected between 2010-2019, diet-related health conditions cost the US economy approximately $1.1 trillion annually in combined medical costs and productivity loss. Nutrition-focused interventions have demonstrated high value and measurable reductions in healthcare spending, making them a cost‑effective strategy for preventing and managing these health conditions. Given that people with IDD experience disproportionately high rates of diet-related health conditions, improving access to inclusive nutrition education that meets their needs is essential for reducing healthcare costs and advancing health equity.
The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)’s Inclusive Nutrition Education tip sheet offers practical, evidence-informed adaptations to make nutrition lessons, worksheets, and recipes more inclusive for people with all types of disabilities, including those with IDD. These recommendations include:
- Using food models and tangible objects that learners can physically touch and/or visually see (e.g., representing grams of sugar with sugar cubes).
- Providing extra time to complete the lesson.
- Keeping directions short and easy to understand—break up instructions into small, attainable steps.
- Using pictures to define words, concepts, instructions, ingredients, and utensils used in recipes.
- Categorizing foods with visual icons to indicate nutrition density (e.g., stoplight symbols, smiley/frown face, and/or thumbs up/down that visually convey healthier and less-healthy diet choices).
- Providing a demonstration, video, or step-by-step guide to assist with recipe directions and expected final outcomes.
By improving the accessibility of nutrition education, healthcare providers, educators, and community-based organizations can expand opportunities for people with IDD and other disabilities to build practical nutrition skills, support chronic disease prevention, and experience improved health and quality of life.