Moderate to vigorous physical activity in daily life of Japanese children with Down syndrome is shorter than that of normal children

Background and objectives: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children with and without disabilities. Children with Down syndrome (DS), many of whom have congenital heart diseases, have physical characteristics such as muscle hypotonia. They may also have characteristics that differ from those of normal children (NC) in terms of physical activity intensity and duration as well as ambulation. This study aimed to compare the time characteristics of physical activity considering both ambulatory and non-ambulatory states between children with DS and NC. Methods: Participants included 69 fourth- to sixth-grade children with DS and 68 NC attending elementary schools in Japan. The physical characteristics recorded were age, height, weight, and body mass index. Physical activity was recorded as follows: Sedentary behavior (PA < 1.6 MET) time, Light physical activity (1.6 MET ≦ PA < 3.0 MET) time, Moderate physical activity (3.0 MET ≦ PA < 6.0 MET) time, Vigorous physical activity (6.0 MET ≦ PA) time, and MVPA (3.0 MET ≦ PA) time. Walking and non-walking conditions and the number of steps were analyzed as well. Student's t-test and Welch's t-test or the Mann–Whitney test was used for analysis. Results: Children with DS had a longer MVPA time in non-ambulation than NC (27.7 vs. 24.1 min/day; p=0.035). The total MVPA time was shorter (DS: 53.1 min/day, NC: 65.0 min/day; p=0.003) owing to the shorter MVPA ambulation time (DS: 25.5 min/day, NC: 40.9 min/day; p 60 minutes/day of MVPA as recommended by the WHO. Conclusions: Children with DS were able to maintain the same amount of non-ambulatory MVPA time as NC. It is hoped that children with DS will achieve the WHO-recommended MVPA time of 60 minutes with the promotion of ambulatory activities through play and other activities.