Physical Activity in Youth with Down Syndrome and Its Relationship with Adiposity

The aims of this study are to (1) compare physical activity (PA) and sedentary activity (SA) in youth with and without Down syndrome (DS and non-DS) and examine the relationships of PA and SA with their traditional risk factors (age, sex, race, and body mass index Z score [BMI-Z]) and (2) explore the relationship of PA with visceral fat (VFAT) in both groups.Methods:SenseWear accelerometry data from at least 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day were collected from youth with DS (N = 77) and non-DS (N = 57) youth. VFAT was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry.Results:In age-, sex-, race-, and BMI-Z-adjusted models, those with DS engaged in more minutes of light PA (LPA) (p < 0.0001) and less SA (p = 0.003) and trended toward fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (p = 0.08) than non-DS youth. No race or sex differences in MVPA were detected in those with DS, unlike non-DS. After additional adjustment for pubertal status, the relationship between MVPA and VFAT approached significance (p = 0.06), whereas the relationships of LPA and SA with VFAT were maintained (p ≤ 0.0001 for both).Conclusion:Youth with DS engage in more LPA compared with non-DS, which, in typically developing populations, can confer a more favorable weight status. Increasing the opportunity for youth with DS to engage in LPA as part of their activities of daily living may offer a viable strategy for achieving healthy weight when barriers restrict pursuit of more vigorous PA.