The Relationship Between Physical Activity Level And Quality of Life of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the quality of life levels of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the relationship between quality of life and physical activity level. Materials and Methods: 28 children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder participated in the study. A sociodemographic form consisting of 25 questions about the child and parents, the " Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory- Parent Form " consisting of 23 questions to assess the quality of life of children and adolescents, and the "Physical Activity Scale for Children" consisting of 9 questions to determine the level of physical activity was administered to the participants. Results: 28 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including 8 girls and 20 boys, participated in the study. The mean PedsQL score of the children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder was found to be 49.87±19.08. Pearson Correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between children's physical activity level and quality of life. No statistically significant correlation was found between the PedsQL total score and the PAQ-C score (p>0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between psychosocial health and PAQ-C, one of the sub-scores of PedsQL. (p<0.05) Conclusion: According to the findings; We can state that the psychosocial health of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the social function parameter among the sub-parameters are more negatively affected. There is no significant relationship between children's physical activity levels and quality of life, but there is a significant relationship between psychosocial quality of life and physical activity levels.