Evaluation of a Dietary Approach for Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of a Dietary Approach for Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity and improved Nutrition for people with a learning disability; the DAMSON project.
IRAS ID
253151
Contact name
Lynette Harper
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kingston University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aim of this pilot study is to measure the impact of an intervention on service users' (individuals with a mild learning disability living in community staffed accomodation) dietary habits and health. This intervention will comprise of 1) training for the staff team on healthy eating and nudges that can be used to support the individual’s they care for with healthy food choices and 2)providing individuals with a learning disability a free online cookbook. This has been specifically designed to be more accessible for people who may find it hard to follow more complex instructions or who have difficulty with the written word. Recipes have been developed following guidance from the department of health and the Diabeties Organisation.
Individuals with a learning disability are known to have poorer health and die over 20 years earlier than people who are not cognitively impaired. Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol have also been been reported at increased rates in individuals with learning disability compared to the general population. Despite these facts a dearth of literature exists which evaluates dietary programs aiming to support weight loss and improve the symptoms already mentioned that are associated with obesity and collectively known as metabolic syndrome.
A quasi-experimental pilot study using a pre-test post-post design will look at the impact of training and cookbook.
To ascertain the efficacy of the training and cookbook, the following outcome data will be collected before and after the intervention: food and fluid consumed, waist circumference physical assessments (include blood glucose, cholesterol levels and blood pressure). Participants with a mild learning disability who are provided with the intervention will also be invited to provide verbal feedback about their successes and / or any barriers to maintaining a healthy diet through interviews.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
19/IEC08/0026
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion