Health disparities and health promotion needs of college students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities: A systematic literature review.

Objective

A new population of college students is emerging on campuses across the United States: students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). With this new and growing population of college students, an important question persists: are their health and wellness needs being identified and met?Participants/

Methods

ProQuest Central, WorldCat, General OneFile, and ArticleFirst were searched in June 2017 using the following criteria: health of college students with IDD, health of adults with IDD, health of adolescents with IDD, and peer-reviewed. Twenty-four articles were selected for final review.

Results

Specific health and wellness topics were revealed: transition experiences and worries; college experiences, coping strategies, and support needs; sexuality, dating, and romantic relationships; mental health; and drugs and alcohol.

Conclusions

Research on this unique population should continue, and the etiology of health and wellness issues of college students with IDD should be established to develop and implement evidence-based programing.