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Accelerometer-measured physical activity among children and adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Date
2026-02-01
Abstract
Purpose: Physical inactivity is a health concern for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) as it directly increases their risk of developing various health problems. Evidence on differences in accelerometer-assessed physical activity between children and adolescents with and without NDDs is inconclusive. And age- and body mass index (BMI)- related effects on physical activity remain unclear. Methods: The systematic literature searches were performed in 6 databases up to March 2025. Methodological quality was evaluated by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scales. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. Hedges’ g was used to express the effect size index with 95 % confidence interval (CI). Meta-regression on age and BMI was also performed to investigate the potential moderating effects. Results: Out of the 2167 studies initially identified, 28 were included in the analysis, which comprised total physical activity (TPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and light physical activity (LPA) included in the meta-analysis, respectively. These studies involved 1060 children and adolescents with NDDs and 1820 without, aged 6.6–16.9 years. A small-to-moderate effect size exists for the difference in TPA (g=-0.299) and MVPA (g=-0.479) between children and adolescents with and without NDD, particularly indicating a difference in 12.7 min of MVPA daily. The difference in LPA was not significant (g=0.450, p = 0.125). The decline in MVPA with age was more pronounced in those with NDDs, and the difference in MVPA was smaller for those with lower BMI.
Conclusion: The variation in MVPA differences by age and BMI highlights the need to develop better physical activity habits and reduce these disparities for children and adolescents with NDDs.
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Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Research in Developmental Disabilities (169), 105233
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Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International