Comparing Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior Patterns Between Adults With And Without Down Syndrome

Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) levels in adults with Down syndrome (DS) have previously been evaluated with accelerometer cut-points developed for the general population. PURPOSE: To examine if levels and patterns of PA or SB differed between adults with and without DS when using population specific accelerometer cut-points. METHODS: Forty adults with DS (age 36 ± 10 years) and 56 adults without DS (age 29 ± 11 years) had PA and SB measured by hip worn accelerometer. We scored accelerometer data using the following cut-points (DS: Sedentary ≤237 counts·min-1, Light ≤2166 counts·min-1, Moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) ≥2167 counts·min-1; N-DS: Sedentary ≤199 counts·min-1, Light ≤2690 counts·min-1, MVPA ≥2691 counts·min-1). The following thresholds were used for number and duration of SB and PA bouts: ≥1, ≥10, ≥30, and ≥ 60 min. We used independent samples t-tests to determine differences between adults with and without DS for SB and PA variables. RESULTS: Adults with DS had less sedentary time (DS: 388 ± 120 min·day-1; N-DS: 502 ± 113 min·day-1; p < .001), more light PA (DS: 324 ± 90 min·day-1; N-DS: 287 ± 72 min·day-1; p = .017), and more MVPA time (DS: 95 ± 44 min·day-1; N-DS: 52 ± 28 min·day-1; p < .001) than adults without DS. Adults with DS had more ≥1 min (DS: 50 ± 11 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 44 ± 8 bouts·day-1; p = .001), and less ≥10 min (DS: 14 ± 5 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 17 ± 3 bouts·day-1; p < .001), ≥30 min (DS: 3 ± 2 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 5 ± 2 bouts·day-1; p < .001), and ≥ 60 min SB bouts (DS: 0.6 ± 0.6 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 1 ± 1 bouts·day-1; p < .001) than adults without DS. Adults with DS had shorter ≥1 min (DS: 9 ± 2 min·bout-1; N-DS: 13 ± 5 min·bout-1; p < .001) and ≥ 10 min SB bouts (DS: 22 ± 5 min·bout-1; N-DS: 26 ± 7 min·bout-1; p < .001) than adults without DS. Adults with DS had more ≥1 min (DS: 34 ± 12 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 22 ± 9 bouts·day-1; p < .001) and ≥ 10 min PA bouts (DS: 2 ± 2 bouts·day-1; N-DS: 1 ± 1 bouts·day-1; p < .001), and longer ≥1 min (DS: 3 ± 1 min·bout-1; N-DS: 2 ± 1 min·bout-1; p < .001), but shorter ≥10 min PA bouts (DS: 15 ± 3 min·bout-1; N-DS: 19 ± 9 min·bout-1; p = .002) than adults without DS. CONCLUSION: Adults with DS engage in shorter sedentary bouts than adults without DS that are interrupted by short bouts of PA. With these cut-points, the PA and SB profiles of adults with DS seem to be better than previously reported. Funding: MSU ORED and I'm An Athlete Foundation