Physical Activity Patterns of Youth with Down Syndrome

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity patterns of children with Down syndrome. A cross-sectional approach and accelerometry were used to measure the time children with Down syndrome (N = 104) spent in sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Results indicated that adolescents from ages 14 to 15 years were the most sedentary and spent the least amount of time in light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. A general trend of decreasing physical activity as children increase in age was found. This trend is similar to that found among typically developing youth. Participants in this study were found to spend a majority of their day engaged in sedentary activities. Results indicate that most participants were not accumulating the recommended 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity.

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Association between physical activity patterns and sarcopenia in Arab men

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060520918694 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 030006052091869 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shaea Alkahtani ◽

Osama Aljuhani ◽

Maha Alhussain ◽

Syed Shahid Habib

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Activity Patterns ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Arab Men

Objective In this study, we aimed to examine the association between physical activity patterns and sarcopenia in Arab men. Methods This cross-sectional study included 363 men (47.7 ± 15.4 years). We analyzed appendicular lean mass (ALM), handgrip strength test, and physical activity levels. ALM divided by height (meters) squared was calculated (ALM/Ht 2 ), and participants with −1 and −2 standard deviations below the sex-specific mean for Saudi young adults were considered to have sarcopenia class I and class II, respectively. Independent t-tests, analysis of variance, and Mann–Whitney U tests were performed to determine mean and median differences. Results We observed a significant difference between participants with and without sarcopenia in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); the correlation between ALM/H2 and MVPA was borderline significant. With a 1-hour/week increase in MVPA, ALM/Ht 2 increased by 0.30 kg/m2. Total and ALM, handgrip strength, and MVPA were significantly lower in participants age >60 years; fat mass and waist circumference were unchanged as compared with middle-aged participants. Conclusions We identified an association between time spent in recreational MVPA and lean muscle mass among Arab men. Future studies should examine the role of MVPA training programs on muscle mass and strength in older men.

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The Association between Difficulties with Speech Fluency and Language Skills in a National Age Cohort of Children with Down Syndrome

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11060704 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 704

Author(s):

Kari-Anne B. Næss ◽

Egil Nygaard ◽

Hilde Hofslundsengen ◽

J. Scott Yaruss

Keyword(s):

Down Syndrome ◽

Language Skills ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exact Test ◽

Children With Down Syndrome ◽

Speech Fluency ◽

Age Cohort ◽

Student’S T

The present study (a) addressed difficulties in speech fluency in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children at a similar non-verbal level and (b) examined the association between difficulties with speech fluency and language skills in children with Down syndrome. Data from a cross-sectional parent survey that included questions about children’s difficulties with speech fluency, as well as clinical tests from a national age cohort of 43 six-year-olds with Down syndrome and 57 young typically developing children, were collected. Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, linear regression, and density ellipse scatter plots were used for analysis. There was a significantly higher occurrence of parent-reported difficulties with speech fluency in the children with Down syndrome. Higher language scores were significantly associated with a lower degree of difficulties; this association was strongest for vocabulary and phonological skills. Although difficulties with speech fluency were not reported for all children with Down syndrome, a substantially higher occurrence of such difficulties was reported compared to that for typically developing children. The significant association between difficulties with speech fluency and the level of language functioning suggests that speech fluency and language skills should be taken into consideration when planning treatment for children with Down syndrome.

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SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIALIZED AND UNSPECIALIZED YOUTH

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120s00218 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967120S0021

Author(s):

Julie A. Young ◽

Amy E Valasek ◽

James Onate

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Sports Medicine ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Recreational Activities ◽

Physical Activity Patterns ◽

Medicine Clinic ◽

Risk Of Injury

The benefits of physical activity cross all domains of health. Unfortunately, many children are not meeting the current American College of Sports Medicine recommendations of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) 7 days a week. This is especially deleterious since physical activity patterns during childhood may carryover to adulthood. Research has also shown that participating in one sport may increase the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported exercise levels in children reporting to a tertiary sports medicine clinic over a three year period. Subjects were asked “How many minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day?” and “How many days per week do you participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity”. Minutes per week of MVPA was calculated. Age, sex, and current sports and recreational activities were recorded. There were 7427 unique patients (53% female) with an average age of 13.8±2.6. The average minutes per day of exercise was reported as 85.6±44.4, average days per week was 4.4±1.6 and minutes per week was 410.8±266.9. Females reported less minutes per day (83.5 vs. 87.8, p<.001), less days per week (4.2 vs 4.7, p<.001) and less minutes per week (384.1 vs 440.2, p<.001) than males. On average, females reported 56 minutes less activity per week than their male counterparts. There were 3618 participants who only reported one activity and were categorized as specialized in a single physical activity. Those that specialized in a single activity were significantly older (14.1 vs 13.4, p<.001). There were no significant differences between reported minutes per day between specialized and unspecialized athletes (85.8 vs 85.2, p=.57). Those who specialized in one activity reported more days per week (4.6 vs 4.2. p<.001) and more minutes per week (423.8 vs 397.0, p=.001) than unspecialized athletes. Research has consistently shown that females are less active than males. Those who specialized in one activity participated in more minutes per week of activity, mainly through participating in more days of physical activity. Children should be encouraged to participate in a variety of activities on a daily basis to ensure they receive the benefits of physical activity.

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Domain-specific physical activity patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness among the working population: Findings from the cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034610 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. e034610

Author(s):

Johannes Zeiher ◽

Maurice Duch ◽

Lars E Kroll ◽

Gert B M Mensink ◽

Jonas D Finger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Occupational Physical Activity ◽

Working Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Activity Patterns ◽

Domain Specific

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate associations between occupational physical activity patterns (physical work demands linked to job title) and leisure time physical activity (assessed by questionnaire) with cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed by exercise test) among men and women in the German working population.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study.SettingTwo-stage cluster-randomised general population sample selected from population registries of 180 nationally distributed sample points. Information was collected from 2008 to 2011.Participants1296 women and 1199 men aged 18–64 from the resident working population.Outcome measureEstimated low maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2max), defined as first and second sex-specific quintile, assessed by a standardised, submaximal cycle ergometer test.ResultsLow estimatedV˙O2maxwas strongly linked to low leisure time physical activity, but not occupational physical activity. The association of domain-specific physical activity patterns with lowV˙O2maxvaried by sex: women doing no leisure time physical activity with high occupational physical activity levels were more likely to have lowV˙O2max(OR 6.54; 95% CI 2.98 to 14.3) compared with women with ≥2 hours of leisure time physical activity and high occupational physical activity. Men with no leisure time physical activity and low occupational physical activity had the highest odds of lowV˙O2max(OR 4.37; 95% CI 2.02 to 9.47).ConclusionThere was a strong association between patterns of leisure time and occupational physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness within the adult working population in Germany. Women doing no leisure time physical activity were likely to have poor cardiorespiratory fitness, especially if they worked in physically demanding jobs. However, further investigation is needed to understand the relationships between activity and fitness in different domains. Current guidelines do not distinguish between activity during work and leisure time, so specifying leisure time recommendations by occupational physical activity level should be considered.

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