The physical activity patterns of adolescents with intellectual disabilities: A descriptive study

Emerging data suggest that adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have lower physical activity (PA) levels and have a higher incidence of obesity than their peers without IDs.

To examine daily PA patterns (weekdays vs. weekend days) of adolescents with IDs among boys and girls. The contributions of PA at school, including school recesses and physical education time, and PA outside of school were also analyzed.

Participants included forty-nine adolescents with mild to moderate IDs (mean 15.3 years) from the Valencia region (Spain). Adolescents wore a pedometer for seven consecutive days to measure PA objectively and filled in a daily activity log. Mean steps for weekdays, weekend days, and for the different day segments were calculated and compared.

This study indicates significant differences in daily PA levels between boys and girls (12,630 and 9599 steps respectively; p < 0.05). Girls were less active than boys on weekdays (13,872 vs. 9868 steps; p = 0.016), during school time (7097 vs. 4802 steps; p = 0.005), and during school recesses (1953 vs. 1147 steps; p = 0.033). Boys showed higher levels of PA on weekdays compared to weekend days (13,872 vs. 10,188 steps; p = 0.015) and PA at school represented 50% of the participants' daily PA in both genders. There were no differences comparing weight status groups (normal vs. overweight/obese) in PA levels either on weekdays or weekend days.

These findings provide an empirical basis for interventions to increase PA levels among adolescents with IDs.