Preliminary findings of health promotion plans among institutions caring for persons with intellectual disabilities: A national survey in Taiwan

Background In encouraging good health for people with intellectual disabilities, health promotion serves as an effective intervention. However, little is known about health promotion strategies for this sector of the population. The objectives of this study were to describe the current profile of health promotion planning among institutions caring for people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan, and to examine differences among institutions. Method The study employed a cross-sectional survey of 157 directors of institutions caring for people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was posted to obtain information relating to the planning, budget appropriations, and decision-making processes concerning health promotion at these institutions. Results A total of 120 directors of institutions completed the posted questionnaire. Health promotion plans were operative at 88.4% of the institutions. Among these institutions, 82 settings (76.6%) set aside funding on an annual basis for health promotion programmes for people with intellectual disabilities. With regard to budget spending, most of the respondents did not know exactly what percentage of the annual budget was spent on the health promotion programmes operating in their institutions. The process of health promotion implementation was multidisciplinary and intersectoral in terms of the staff involved. Those institutions that employed skilled nurses were more likely to run health promotion programmes than those institutions without nursing staff. Conclusions Further research should be focused on the efficacy of health promotion programmes for people with intellectual disabilities, and on the creation of supportive environments in institutions for enabling these people to participate in the process of decision-making on health promotion issues.