Participation in physical activity for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
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Published on: July 27, 2022
Rubab G Arim1, Leanne C Findlay, Dafna E Kohen
1Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, RH Coats 24, 100 Tunney's Pasture Way, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0T6.
Insights
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) participate less in organized physical activities. Understanding these factors is key to promoting inclusive sports participation for all children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Disability Studies
- Sports Science
Background:
- Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) face unique challenges in physical activity participation.
- Understanding participation disparities is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare physical activity participation rates in organized and unorganized settings.
- To examine children (4-9 years) with NDDs (with and without EBPs) against children without disabilities.
- To identify mediators influencing the relationship between disability and physical activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from Cycle 7 (2006-07) of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY).
- Analyzed participation in organized and unorganized sports/physical activities based on health status (NDDs, EBPs).
- Controlled for sociodemographic factors to assess the robustness of findings.
Main Results:
- Children with NDDs, and those with both NDDs and EBPs, showed the lowest participation in organized physical activities.
- Children with EBPs only also participated less in organized activities compared to controls.
- No significant differences in unorganized physical activity participation were observed across health groups.
- Differences in organized activity participation persisted after controlling for sociodemographic factors, except for children with EBPs only.
Conclusions:
- Health conditions, specifically NDDs and EBPs, significantly impact participation in organized physical activities.
- Family sociodemographic characteristics play a role in these participation disparities.
- Interventions should consider primary and co-existing health conditions to promote inclusive physical activity for children with disabilities.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare rates of participation for children (4-9 years of age) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) with and without externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) with children without disability and to examine mediators of the relation between disability and physical activity participation. Data for this study were drawn from Cycle 7 (2006-07) of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). The frequency of children's participation in organized sports or physical activities varied depending on the child's health condition with children with NDDs and both NDDs and EBPs participating least in organized sports or physical activities followed by children with EBPs only. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences by health group for children's participation in unorganized sports or physical activities. These differences remained even after controlling for the effects of other child and family sociodemographic characteristics, except for children with EBPs only. These findings highlight the importance of considering children's primary and other existing health conditions as well as family sociodemographic characteristics in order to better understand the factors that influence participation in organized physical activities for children with disabilities.
