Muscular strength plays an important role in the overall health of people across the life span. Research has shown that muscular strength positively influences muscular strength in older adults. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of physical activity and muscular strength in school-aged children with and without disabilities
Method:
Children were recruited with (n= 13) and without disabilities (n= 7) between the ages of 9 to 18 years. Strength was measured using the handgrip dynamometer using the participants' dominant hand. Time spent in physical activity was measure with acceleromtry over the course of 7 days.
Analysis/Results:
In both groups, muscle strength and time spent in physical activities were positively correlated, where children with stronger muscle strength spent more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Participants with poorer muscle strength spent less time engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Overall, school aged children with developmental disabilities spent less time engaging in physical activities when compare to typically developed school aged children. Disability was associated with physical inactivity, which was also associated with lower muscle strength.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that people with greater muscle strength tend to engage longer in moderate to vigorous physical activity. It also suggested that muscle strength is associated with spending more time in physical activities. Other factors need to be consider when engaging in physical activity in both typically developed children and children with disabilities.