Objective: To investigate the health status of mothers with intellectual limitations.
Method: The health status of 50 mothers with intellectual limitations in metropolitan Sydney was assessed during the baseline assessment phase of a randomised controlled trial of a parent education program.
Results: Self-reported maternal health was significantly worse than women's health in the Australian population. Controlling for socio-economic status, mothers' health remained significantly worse on four of the eight subscales.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that mothers with intellectual limitations are particularly at risk for poor health status. An urgent need exists for policy and service initiatives to address the health status of this group of vulnerable mothers.