Physical and Sedentary Activity Patterns in Youths with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Chien-Yu Pan, Chia-Liang Tsai, Fu-Chen Chen, Bik C. Chow, Chih-Chia Chen and Chia-Hua Chu
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Chien-Yu Pan: Department of Physical Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, No.116, He-Ping First Road, Kaohsiung 802, Taiwan
Chia-Liang Tsai: Institute of Physical Education, Health and Leisure Studies, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Fu-Chen Chen: Department of Physical Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, No.116, He-Ping First Road, Kaohsiung 802, Taiwan
Bik C. Chow: Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Chih-Chia Chen: Department of Kinesiology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Chia-Hua Chu: Department of Physical Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, No.116, He-Ping First Road, Kaohsiung 802, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Little is known about the patterns of sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA) within different school levels (i.e., primary school and secondary school) and on different day types (i.e., weekdays and weekend days) among youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The sample was recruited from one city in Taiwan. A total of 68 male youths with ASD, aged 6–17 years, participated in the study. PA was assessed using an ActiGraph accelerometer, and sedentary behaviors (i.e., TV viewing, computer use, and reading time) were determined using a self-report log. The main findings were that (a) primary school youths with ASD were more active than secondary school youths with ASD on both weekdays and weekend days, but primary school youths with ASD also had more sedentary time than did secondary school youths with ASD on both weekdays and weekend days; (b) secondary school youths with ASD were more active but also more sedentary on weekdays compared with weekend days, but they had more screen use on weekend days compared with on weekdays. Future interventions are required to decrease sedentary behavior and increase PA to improve the health of these youths according to school level and day of the week.

Keywords: accelerometer; health behavior; physical performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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