Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder affects up to 2.5% of children and is associated with harmful health outcomes (e.g. obesity). Low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behaviors may contribute to harmful health outcomes. To systematically review the prevalence and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, electronic databases (PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE, Medline) were searched from inception to November 2015. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42014013849). Peer-reviewed, English language studies were included. Two reviewers screened potentially relevant articles. Outcomes of interest were physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels and their potential correlates. Data were collected and analysed in 2015. Of 35 included studies, 15 reported physical activity prevalence, 10 reported physical activity correlates, 18 reported sedentary behavior prevalence, and 10 reported sedentary behavior correlates. Estimates of children’s physical activity (34–166 mins/day, average 86 mins/day) and sedentary behavior (126–558 mins/day in screen time, average 271 mins/day; 428–750 mins/day in total sedentary behavior, average 479 mins/day) varied across studies. Age was consistently inversely associated, and sex inconsistently associated with physical activity. Age and sex were inconsistently associated with sedentary behavior. Sample sizes were small. All but one of the studies were classified as having high risk of bias. Few correlates have been reported in sufficient studies to provide overall estimates of associations. Potential correlates in the physical environment remain largely unexamined. This review highlights varying levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research is needed to consistently identify the correlates of these behaviors. There is a critical need for interventions to support healthy levels of these behaviors.
Highlights
Low levels of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviors (SB) are associated with short- and long-term health consequences from early childhood, through childhood and adolescence
Studies typically included participants in more than one age range: the studies with adult participants were included as they reported on participants aged 12–18 years but did not report data separately; all data from these studies are presented
Consistent with the literature among typically developing (TD) children, this review found negative associations between PA and age or school level/grade [62, 63]
Summary
Low levels of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviors (SB) are associated with short- and long-term health consequences from early childhood, through childhood and adolescence. Social impairment and restricted interests combined with high rates of motor problems [18] commonly present in this disorder may limit the opportunities for engagement in PA and put children with ASD at risk of increased SB and other harmful health outcomes including and obesity [19]. Engaging in PA may offer opportunities for socialization with peers, broaden a child’s range of interests, increase motor skills and have positive impacts on a range of outcomes including physical health, social-emotional and developmental functioning [20]. There is no clear evidence documenting the prevalence of PA and SB in children with ASD, nor comprehensive evidence of the correlates of these behaviors. The aim of this review was to systematically examine reported prevalence of PA and SB, along with their correlates, in children with ASD
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