Physical Activity Levels, Frequency, and Type Among Adolescents with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Heidi I Stanish, Carol Curtin, Aviva Must and 3 others
PMID 28066867WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with autism averaged 29 minutes per day in moderate to vigorous activity, compared with 50 minutes for typically developing peers.
They reported similar activity types and frequency. The lower measured activity was not matched by lower reported participation.
Key findings
01On average, adolescents with autism spent 29 minutes per day in moderate to vigorous physical activity, compared with 50 minutes per day for typically developing adolescents.
02Both groups often did not meet the 60 minutes per day moderate to vigorous activity recommendation, and the lower proportion that met the guideline among adolescents with autism, 14%, versus typically developing adolescents, 29%, was not statistically significant.
03Adolescents with autism and typically developing adolescents reported similar overall activity frequency, 39.9 versus 40.3 times per month, and similar most common regular activities.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and convenience-based, and only 29 adolescents with autism and 55 typically developing adolescents had usable accelerometry data. The autism group was more male and slightly older than the typically developing group, although the models adjusted for age and sex. Participants had to be verbally communicative without an assistive device, so the findings do not apply to adolescents with autism who use such devices. The questionnaire was not validated, and parents provided more information for adolescents with autism while typically developing adolescents mostly reported on their own behavior, which could bias reported activity. 51.4% of adolescents with autism had an intellectual disability, which may have affected understanding of questions and frequency estimates. The study could not determine why adolescents with autism spent less time in moderate to vigorous activity. Wear time was lower in the autism group on weekdays and as a daily weighted average, but it was not correlated with activity outcomes and was not adjusted for.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper states that additional grant support allowed the sample to include youth with autism.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that matching activity types between adolescents with autism and peers will increase moderate to vigorous activity. The study found lower measured moderate to vigorous minutes despite similar reported activity types and frequency, and it did not test whether any program changes activity levels.