E. Andrew Pitchford

Parental Perceptions of Physical Activity Benefits for Youth With Developmental Disabilities.

Physical activity promotion is of need for youth with developmental disabilities. Parental perceptions of physical activity benefits may influence youth behaviors. This study investigated the relationship between parental beliefs on the importance of physical activity and physical activity levels among youth with disabilities. Parents and caregivers of 113 youth with disabilities reported on the perceived benefits of physical activity, the childs physical activity level, and demographic information. Linear regression analyses to examine the relative association between parental perceived benefits and child physical activity (R² = 0.19) indicated that physical activity level was predicted by parental beliefs and child gender. Health promotion for youth with disabilities should consider educating parents and caregivers of physical activity benefits, in addition to creating more opportunities.

Minimum Accelerometer Wear Time in Infants: A Generalizability Study

BACKGROUND Research measuring physical activity behaviors during infancy is critical for evaluation of early intervention efforts to reduce rapid weight gain. There is little known about the physical activity patterns of infants, due in part to limited evidence for measurement procedures. This study sought to determine the minimal number of days and hours of accelerometry needed to reliably measure daily physical activity in infants using Generalizability (G) theory. METHODS A total of 23 infants (14 female, 9 male) wore an accelerometer on the right ankle and right wrist for 7 days. Data were manually cleaned to remove activity counts not produced by the infant. G theory analyses were conducted on the average counts per epoch. RESULTS Reliable estimates were observed with at least 2 days (G & Φ = .910) and 12 hours (G = .806, Φ = .803) at the ankle, and with at least 3 days (G & Φ = .906) and 15 hours (G = .802, Φ = .800) at the wrist. CONCLUSIONS These results provide some of the first guidelines for objective physical activity measurement during infancy. Accelerometer monitoring periods of at least 3 days including all daytime hours appear to be sufficient for reliable measurement.

Outcomes of Home-Support Consultation on the Maintenance of Bicycle-Riding Skills for Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT Bicycle riding is a functional motor skill that increases physical activity opportunities, social interaction, and independence. However, bicycle riding is difficult for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn. This study examined the effectiveness of home-support consultation (HSC) on increasing the maintenance of independent bicycle riding following initial skill acquisition. Fifty-one youth with a confirmed ASD diagnosis learned to ride a two-wheeled bicycle during a training camp. Twenty-nine riders enrolled in a HSC intervention to promote distributed practice of the learned skill. The control cohort (N = 22) was exempt from the HSC intervention. One year following initial skill acquisition, 62.07% of the HSC cohort compared to 36.36% of the control cohort still reportedly displayed the skill. Within the HSC cohort, riders who reported at least 8 weeks of practice following acquisition on average maintained the skill. Implications of home consultation are discussed.

Physical Activity Patterns in Infants with and Without Down Syndrome

Purpose: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are at greater risk for obesity than their peers who are developing typically. One factor contributing to an early onset of obesity is low levels of physical activity (PA). However, there is little known regarding PA patterns during infancy. Methods: The purpose of this study was to examine the daily PA patterns in 22 infants developing typically and 11 infants with Down syndrome (aged 1-12 months) using Actigraph GT3X+ (wrist and ankle). Results: No significant differences between groups were identified in PA counts at the ankle. Both groups produced significantly more PA at the wrist than at the ankle and PA counts increased across months in age. Conclusion: This study represents an important first step in establishing baseline PA patterns during infancy.

Physical Activity Research in Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review Using the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework

Through a scoping review, the current state of physical activity research in people with intellectual disability was examined. A search of publications between 2000 and 2014 retrieved 362 articles that met inclusion criteria. Eligible studies were coded according to the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework. Of the articles identified, 48% examined associations between physical activity and health outcomes, 9% developed or tested methodology to measure physical activity, 34% examined factors that influence physical activity, 8% evaluated interventions to change physical activity, and 1% examined the dissemination of physical activity/health promotion programming. The categories with lower proportions of studies represent the need for greater population-specific research in physical activity measurement, interventional designs, and translational programs.

Association between Physical Activity and Adiposity in Adolescents with Down Syndrome

Purpose Obesity is highly prevalent among adolescents with Down syndrome (DS); however, reported associations between body composition and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) have been small and nonsignificant. The purpose of this study was to compare group differences between adolescents with and without DS, including dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured body composition and accelerometer-measured physical activity, and then examine associations within adolescents with DS. Methods Thirty-nine adolescents (22 with DS and 17 typically developing controls) 12–18 yr of age participated in the study. Groups had similar distributions of age, sex, and Tanner pubertal stage. Body composition was assessed by DXA, body mass index (BMI), and BMI percentile. MVPA was measured with ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Results Adolescents with DS had significantly higher BMI, BMI percentile, and DXA-derived percent body fat (%BF) as well as lower MVPA compared with controls (P < 0.05). Associations between MVPA and %BF in adolescents with DS were moderate (r = −0.39, P = 0.07) but substantially stronger than BMI (r = −0.19, P = 0.40). However, linear regression analyses identified Tanner stage (&bgr; = −0.77, P < 0.001) and MVPA (&bgr; = −0.34, P = 0.047) as significant predictors of %BF. No relevant associations between body composition and MVPA were observed in adolescents with typical development (P > 0.05). Conclusions Our findings suggest that MVPA is associated with adiposity when measured with DXA among adolescents with DS.

Inter- and Intrarater Reliabilities of the Test of Gross Motor Development—Third Edition Among Experienced TGMD-2 Raters

The purpose of this study was to examine the inter- and intrarater reliabilities of the Test of Gross Motor Development-third edition (TGMD-3). The TGMD-3 was administered to 10 typically developing children. Five raters with experience using the Test of Gross Motor Development-second edition (TGMD-2) scored the digitally recorded performances and then rescored the same performances after a period of 2 weeks. Intraclass correlation (ICC) was used to examine both inter- and intrarater reliabilities of scores. Interrater reliability for the total score, locomotor subscale, and ball skills subscale (ICC: 0.92-0.96) were all excellent, while individual skills (ICC: 0.51-0.93) had fair-to-excellent reliability. Intrarater reliability across all raters was also excellent (ICC: 0.77-0.98) but varied widely for individual raters (ICC: 0.28-1.00) including multiple examples of poor reliability. While raters experienced with the TGMD-2 can produce consistent scores for TGMD-3 total scale and subscales, additional training is needed to improve skill-specific reliability.