Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disability study: summary of findings and the protocol for the 10-year follow-up study.

Abstract

The Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disability (HA-ID) study is a prospective multicentre cohort study in the Netherlands that started in 2008, including 1050 older adults (aged ≥50) with intellectual disabilities (ID). The study is designed to learn more about the health and health risks of this group as they age. Compared with the amount of research in the general population, epidemiological research into the health of older adults with ID is still in its infancy. Longitudinal data about the health of this vulnerable and relatively unhealthy group are needed so that policy and care can be prioritised and for guiding clinical decision making about screening, prevention and treatment to improve healthy ageing. This article presents a summary of the previous findings of the HA-ID study and describes the design of the 10-year follow-up in which a wide range of health data will be collected within five research themes: (1) cardiovascular disease; (2) physical activity, fitness and musculoskeletal disorders; (3) psychological problems and psychiatric disorders; (4) nutrition and nutritional state; and (5) frailty. Ethical approval for the 10-year follow-up measurements of the HA-ID study has been obtained from the Medical Ethics Review Committee of the Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam (MEC-2019-0562). This cohort study is registered in the Dutch Trial Register (NTR number NL8564) and has been conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.