Objective assessment of sedentary time and physical activity throughout the week in adolescents with Down syndrome. The UP&DOWN study.
Only 43 percent of teens with Down syndrome meet daily activity goals, but skill-based, weekend-heavy programs can push the number up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Polo-López et al. (2014) strapped small accelerometers to 166 teens with Down syndrome for seven full days. The belt counted every step and minute of moderate-to-vigorous movement so the team could see who hit the 60-minute daily goal.
What they found
Only 43 percent of the teens reached the one-hour target. Boys beat girls on weekends, but everyone moved less as birthdays piled up.
How this fits with other research
Chung-Qian et al. (2013) used the same week-long belt method on kids with ADHD and saw the opposite pattern: those children moved more than typical peers, especially during free time. The difference is the diagnosis, not the tool.
Yu et al. (2021) showed that teaching one skill—catching—helped kids with coordination disorder meet the same MVPA goal. Rocío’s teens lacked that skill focus, which may explain why fewer succeeded.
Wang et al. (2023) pooled 16 studies and proved steady, long exercise programs cut autism core symptoms. Their review reminds us that low baseline numbers, like Rocío’s 43 percent, are a starting point, not a life sentence.
Why it matters
You now have hard numbers to show parents why movement goals matter. Slip an accelerometer on any teen with Down syndrome before you write the plan. If data mirror Rocío’s, program weekend family walks for boys and add catching games for all. Re-check the belt after eight weeks to see if you beat the 43-percent odds.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed to examine the patterns of sedentary time and physical activity (PA) throughout the week in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). The study comprised 109 adolescents with DS (68 males and 41 females) aged 11-20 years, participating in the UP&DOWN study, but only a total of 100 adolescents provided valid data. Sedentary time and total, light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were measured by accelerometers. There were no significant differences in the time spent in sedentary time and PA levels between weekdays vs. weekend days, as well as between school time vs. after school-time periods (all p>0.05). Adolescent males engaged in more total PA, moderate PA, vigorous PA and MVPA than females on weekend days (all p<0.05). Differences between age groups showed that sedentary time increases and PA decreases with advancing age in all analyses, so that the oldest groups were more sedentary and less active (all p<0.05). Only 43% of adolescents with DS met the PA recommendations of ≥60min/day of MVPA. Our findings show valuable information to be considered in future interventions aiming to decrease sedentary time and increase PA levels in adolescents with DS.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.11.026