Winter 2014 - Research Brief - Health Matters: From Research to Practice

Oct 15, 2026

Research Briefs from the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky summarize findings on health and wellness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The brief highlights national data showing poorer overall health and higher obesity rates, and contrasts this with Kentucky outcomes using National Core Indicator datasets. It explains Kentucky’s focus on improving results for Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver recipients, describes a statewide provider survey on barriers and strategies, and reports early results on exercise participation and wellness program availability for both individuals and direct support staff.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Health Matters: From Research to Practice

Health and wellness needs in Kentucky

Method and research questions

Results

WINTER 2014 Human Development Institute • University of Kentucky RESEARCHBRIEF An update on HDI’s research in the field of developmental disabilities Health Matters: From Research to Practice Harold L. Kleinert, Ed.D., Executive Director, Human Development Institute; Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health Sciences Kathy Sheppard-Jones, Ph.D., Training Director, Human Development Institute; Adjunct Professor, Early Childhood, Rehabilitation Counseling & Special Education, College of Education Health and wellness for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is a national issue, and there are compelling data that persons with IDD have poorer overall health, a higher incidence of obesity, as well as fewer opportunities for regular exercise and health promotion activities (Anderson, Humphries, McDermott, Marks, Sisarak, & Larson, 2013) . While these overall data are disconcerting, National Core Indicator data present an even bleaker picture for our own state. In Kentucky, National Core Indicators (NCI) data annually document the outcomes and life satisfaction for over 400 randomly selected individuals with IDD receiving services state-funded Developmental Disabilities services (e.g., Supports for Community Living, Michelle P. Waiver, Money Follows the Person, state general funded programs). Developed in 1997 by the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), NCI has now expanded to include 39 states (National Core Indicators, 2014) . Kentucky was one of the early adopters, having participated every year since 1998. This continuous participation in National Core Indicators has allowed the state to track performance on key indicators for persons with IDD (health and safety, employment, rights, service planning, community inclusion, and choice), and to compare performance as a state with the national data set. In Kentucky, we have been especially focused upon improving outcomes for individuals receiving Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver services. SCL is our state’s residential Medicaid developmental disabilities waiver; the SCL waiver provides a broad array of services for waiver recipients (residential, supported employment, transportation, community access, etc.) As a part of that focus on improved outcomes, HDI has worked with the KY Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities to create a Quality Improvement Committee to address the life areas in which our state is falling short, including health and wellness, for SCL waiver recipients. Figure 1: KY Percentage Who Engage in Regular Moderate Exercise Compared to National Core Indicator Average Figure 1 demonstrates why health and wellness is such a compelling issue for our state. Whereas, at the national level, the number of individuals with IDD who participated in moderate exercise (such as brisk walking, bicycling, cleaning, gardening, or swimming), 30 minutes a day for at least three times per week, increased from 19. 1% to 25. 0% between the 2008/2009 and 2011/2012 data cycles, the percentage of SCL recipients in Kentucky who met this recommended level of physical activity actually decreased continued inside continued from frontpage from 12. 2% to 9. 9% . While the national data can hardly be considered a positive picture in themselves, the fact that a random sample of KY’s SCL recipients were rated as having substantially lost ground in terms of physical activity clearly indicates a clear call for action for our state. Method and Research Questions A State Survey of Providers: The Perspective of Service Agencies While our National Core Indicator data have strongly indicated the need to emphasize health and wellness for individuals receiving SCL services, we wanted to get the perspective of provider agencies, as to what they perceived as the key barriers and potential strategies. F

FAQs

Why does the brief emphasize health and wellness for people with IDD?

It cites national evidence of poorer overall health and higher obesity rates, then notes that Kentucky’s National Core Indicator data show further gaps, especially related to opportunities for regular exercise and wellness activities.

What is the Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver focus in Kentucky?

The brief describes SCL as Kentucky’s residential Medicaid waiver for developmental disabilities and explains HDI’s efforts, with state partners, to create a quality improvement approach targeting health and wellness for waiver recipients.

What did the statewide survey ask providers?

The survey explored the extent to which agencies offered wellness initiatives for individuals and for direct support staff, the perceived barriers to implementing programs, and whether agencies used innovative strategies or promising practices.

Oct 15, 2026

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