Health promotion
Section: Health promotion | LD Toolkit template | RCGP Learning
-
Health promotion
-
Adults with a learning disability are 10 times more likely to have a serious sight problem than the general population. 1 in 10 are blind or partially sighted. Children with a learning disability are 28 times more likely than other children to have a serious sight problem. Did your patient have a recent eye check, do they need glasses and if so are they wearing them?
SeeAbility: ten times more likely (Youtube video)
SeeAbility: glaucoma (Easy Read)
Royal National Institute of Blind People: learning disabilities
-
All types of hearing loss are more common in people with a learning disability: in the general population the incidence is about 16%, for people with learning disabilities it is about 30-40%. More than 90% of adults with Down Syndrome over 50 years suffer from hearing loss which starts about 20-30 years earlier than in the general population. This can have a profound impact and lead to social isolation, loneliness and frustration which may be contribute to a significant change in behaviour.
NHS England: sight, dental and ear checks in special residential schools
SeeAbility: a parent's guide to hearing care
British Society for Audiology: audiological assessment for adults with intellectual disabilities
-
People with a learning disability are much more likely to have dental pain: this may be due to their diet, dependency on others to clean their teeth or because they don’t have regular check ups. Many general dentists look after patients with a learning disability, but there may be specialist dental services for those with very complex needs.
Public Health England: oral care and people with learning disabilities
Health Education England: oral health for people with a learning disability
-
Does your patient smoke? Is this recorded on their record? Do they vape? Is this recorded?
-
Does your patient drink or use recreational drugs? Is this recorded on their record?
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust: alcohol and you - easy read information
-
People with a learning disability are more likely to die of cancer, partly because they are less likely to be screened, but also due to later presentations. Do you have accessible resources to enable your patients to be screened? Do you consider reasonable adjustments to enable women with learning disabilities to attend for cervical screening?
King's College London: LeDeR 2025 avoidable cancers
NHS England: cervical screening - an easy guide
Public Health England: ovarian cancer (Easy Read)
Macmillan cancer support: breast care and screening (Easy Read)
Thera Trust: checking my testicles
NHS England: abdominal aortic aneurysm screening - easy guide
-
The second commonest cause of death in people with learning disabilities is respiratory (14.6%, compared with 16.7% who died of diseases of the circulatory system) with influenza and pneumonia being the commonest infective causes. This highlights the immense benefits this population would get from pneumococcal and influenza vaccination.
Evidence suggests that vaccine coverage rates are lower in those with a learning disability than in the general population; in children, complete coverage rates were significantly lower for those with intellectual disabilities at ages nine months and three years and there is data to show that in the past, only half of adults with learning disability receive a flu vaccination, compared to around 75% uptake for the general population of adults aged over 65.
Pneumococcal vaccination is now part of the childhood vaccination regime and available for people in clinical risk groups as an additional vaccine depending on their age when they were diagnosed with the co-morbidity which entitles them to the vaccination. In the risk group ‘chronic neurological disease’ (the category which includes those with learning disabilities), the mortality rate of influenza per 100,000 population is 37 times higher compared to those in no risk group. With annual influenza vaccination available for all affected since 2014, every GP surgery has the chance to protect some of the most vulnerable people in their community.
NHS: protect yourself from flu, have the flu vaccine
RCGP Learning: vaccination in people with learning disabilities
-
People with a learning disability are more likely to be overweight; this can be for a variety of reasons, such as being less active or being dependent on others to buy and prepare their food. For some eating too much can be part of the underlying condition such as Praader Willi.
Some people may be very underweight: possible reasons for this include problems swallowing or aversion to the texture or smell of food which can be associated with neurodiversityBritish Dietetic Association: weight management for people with learning disabilities
Prader - Willi Syndrome Association UK
Public Health England: obesity and weight management for people with learning disabilities: guidance
-
About 1 in 400 children live with cerebral palsy and of those about 45% also have a learning disability. Associated cerebral palsy is a common cause of postural and gait problems in people with a learning disability and may mean people can only sit and lie in limited positions. Poor posture can lead to problems such as skin damage or difficulties swallowing.
Public Health England: making reasonable adjustments to postural care services (Easy Read)
Public Health England: postural care and people with learning disabilities - guidance
Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust: posture for eating/drinking
-
People with a learning disability have high rates of osteoporosis and fractures. Risk factors include low vitamin D levels, poor mobility and a risk of falls. Many medications used to treat epilepsy contribute to lower vitamin D levels. Many people with more profound learning disability are not able to do weight bearing exercise and often spend limited time outside.
-
People with a learning disability often have fewer chances to exercise as they may be dependent on others to take them out for a walk or to the swimming pool.
Mencap: a guide to physical activity and sport for people with a learning disability
-