Accelerometer-determined physical activity and walking capacity in persons with Down syndrome, Williams syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.
Adults with Down, Williams or Prader-Willi syndromes move only half the recommended minutes and heavier weight cuts walking distance.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers strapped accelerometers on the adults with Down, Williams or Prader-Willi syndromes. They also timed each person on a six-minute walk test.
The sample was split almost evenly between men and women. Ages ranged from 18 to 55. The team wanted baseline numbers for daily movement and walking capacity.
What they found
Average moderate-to-vigorous activity was only 27 minutes per day. That is less than half the 60 minutes recommended for adults.
Heavier participants walked shorter distances. For every extra point of BMI, people walked about 12 fewer feet in six minutes. Women also walked farther than men.
How this fits with other research
Hsieh et al. (2015) looked at a larger database of adults with any intellectual disability. They found the same link: higher BMI predicted lower activity. The 2013 accelerometer data now confirm the pattern holds inside the three genetic syndromes.
Amore et al. (2011) saw the BMI-activity link in children with developmental coordination disorder. The direction looks opposite because they counted parent-reported activities, not step counts. Different yardsticks, same trend.
Griffith et al. (2012) showed two-thirds of adults over 50 with ID have fitness levels of people 20 years older. Together the papers paint a life-span picture: low capacity starts early and stays low without support.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with Down, Williams or Prader-Willi syndrome, assume they are moving less than you think. Start by checking BMI and walking distance in your initial assessment. A simple six-minute walk gives you a quick, cheap baseline. Build goals that add short bursts of moderate activity into daily routines, not just weekly recreation. Small increases, like ten extra minutes of brisk walking a day, can close the health gap without special equipment.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In this study we describe by use of accelerometers the total physical activity (PA), intensity pattern and walking capacity in 87 persons age 16-45 years with Down syndrome (DS), Williams syndrome (WS) and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Participants were recruited from all over Norway, and lived either with their parents or in community residences with support. On average the participants generated 294 counts per minute (cpm) or 6712 steps per day, with most of the day spent in sedentary activity, 522 min/day, followed by 212 min/day in light PA, 71 min/day in lifestyle activity and 27 min/day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Inactivity was prevalent, as only 12% meet the current Nordic recommendations for PA. When compared, no differences for total physical activity or time in MVPA were observed between the three groups. However, participant with DS spent a mean of 73 min/day less and 43 min/day less in sedentary activities compared to participants with PWS and WS, respectively, (p=0.011, 95% CI: -10.9; -80.1). In addition the DS-group spent a mean of 66 min/day more in light PA than the PWS-group and 41 min/day more than the WS-group, (p<0.001, 95% CI: 29.3; 79.7). Participants with PWS spent on average 30 min/day less in lifestyle activities compared to both participants with DS and WS, (p<0.001, 95% CI: -14.2; -45.4). No association between total PA and BMI were observed. Males were more active than females across all diagnoses. Males accumulated on average 85 counts per minutes more than females, (p=0.002, 95% CI: 33.3; 136.7), 2137 more steps per day, (p=0.002, 95% CI: 778; 3496). The mean walking capacity during six-minutes was 507 m (SD 112 m) for males and 466 m (SD 88 m) for females. Distance walked during testing decreased with 33.6 m when comparing normal or underweight participants to overweight participants, and 78.1 m when comparing overweight to obese participants (p<0.001 95% CI: -40.4; -85.8). When adjusted for BMI no differences in walking capacity between the three genetic conditions were observed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.09.021