Method: Physical activity data was collected from 43 children between the ages of 4-18 years. The average age for children with a developmental disability (n=29) was 10.68 years. The average age for typical peers (n-14) was 8.62 years. ActiGraph GTX3+ accelerometers were used to measure PA. Time spent in sedentary, light and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity was measured over 7-days. Accelerometers have been shown to be a valid and reliable tool for quantifying physical activity (Pate et al., 2010; Trost, 2001).
Analysis/Results: Children with developmental disabilities spent an average of 136 minutes per day in MVPA, ranging from 14 to 351 minutes. The average time spent in sedentary activities was 409 minutes (ranging from 180 to 634 minutes), while time spent in light activities averaged 169 minutes (ranging from 54 to 429 minutes). Typical peers spent an average of 157 minutes per day in MVPA (ranging from 12 to 358 minutes). The average time spent in sedentary activities was 377 minutes, ranging from 144 to 625 minutes, and time spent in light activities averaged 174 minutes, ranging from 116 to 397 minutes. Independent sample t-tests indicated no significant difference of PA between children with developmental disabilities compared to typical peers.
Conclusions: Although these findings indicate children are meeting the recommended PA guidelines a substantial amount of time is spent in sedentary activities. Children with developmental disabilities are engaging in less MVPA and more sedentary activities compared to typical peers.