A study conducted in 2009 by Professor Yael Letzer and Arik Rimerman of the University of Haifa examined the correlation between obesity and lifestyle among people with D.I.D. The study, which funded by the Shalem Foundation, found that people with D.I.D. are much more susceptible to obesity than the general population

The Health Circles program, which grew out of this study, strives to provide people with D.I.D. who are active members of social clubs with the knowledge and tools to pursue a healthy lifestyle

Health Circles is a joint project of the National Insurance Institute’s Fund for Service Development for People with Disabilities, the Welfare Ministry’s Division for the Care of People with Developmental Intellectual Disabilities, the Shalem Foundation, the Israeli Association of Community Centers, and the National Association for the Habilitation of Children and Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (AKIM). It is a three-year program that brings in fifteen new clubs each year, for a total of 45 clubs since it began

The program’s coordinators undergo a training program that meets for eight sessions. There they receive theoretical and experiential knowledge and tools for working with the groups in the clubs. The program also includes open-house days for the participants’ families in order to involve them in the process

The first year, 2016, began with a coordinators’ training program that received highly positive responses

Club coordinators participating in the training program run the Health Circles program in clubs, where they teach principles of good nutrition, physical fitness and well-being, and personal hygiene

After nearly a year of piloting the program in 12 clubs with more than 200 participants, we are seeing positive results. Club members are gradually modifying their food choices and are more physically active

.Clubs participating in the program use an activity kit with various movement accessories and receive two years of professional guidance

In the photo : a workshop for food creation, while selecting healthy ingredients