Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents with Hearing Impairments: A Systematic Review.

Wenhong Xu,Lijuan Wang,Chunxiao Li

doi:10.3390/ijerph17124575

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is important for the development of children and adolescents with hearing impairments (HI). This systematic review aims to summarise the existing literature pertaining to the PA of children and adolescents with HI. A systematic search was conducted on eight major electronic databases. Two reviewers independently screened and selected the returned articles, performed data extraction, assessed methodological quality and synthesised the data using an inductive approach. A total of 15 articles consisting of 14 survey studies and one single-subject intervention study met the inclusion criteria. These studies had good to excellent methodological quality. Participants with HI showed lower levels of participation in PA than participants without disabilities, but they were more physically active than those with other types of disabilities. Amongst the 12 PA correlates identified (i.e., gender, age, mother’s education and social cognitive constructs), only gender was a relatively consistent determinant, and boys are significantly more physically active than girls. Additional studies are needed to confirm the determinants of the PA in children and adolescents with HI to provide strong evidence for the development and implementation of PA interventions for this target group.

Highlights

Regular participation in physical activity (PA) has physical, psychological, and social benefits for children and adolescents [1,2]
Studies meeting the following criteria were included in this review: (1) empirical studies focusing on the PA levels and factors associated with PA among children and adolescents with hearing impairments (HI); (2) studies targeting children with HI; and (3) studies were published in English peer-reviewed journals due to language barriers and resource limitations
The findings consistently show that youths with HI were more physically active than those with other types of disabilities

Summary

Introduction

Regular participation in physical activity (PA) has physical, psychological, and social benefits for children and adolescents [1,2]. Participation in PA is associated with greater social integration among children and adolescents, such as building friendships and enhancing social skills [7,8]. These benefits are important for children and adolescents with disabilities [9]. According to the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [10], developing an overall physically active lifestyle at an early age may decrease one’s chances of developing health-related problems. Health People 2020 reaffirmed the importance of PA and identifies “Disability and Health” as one of the topic areas that requires further investigation [11,12]

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Discussion

Conclusion