Investigation of Physical Activity Participation Blue Light Exposure and Sleep Disorders in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the differences in blue light exposure and sleep disorders based on the physical activity participation of children with intellectual disabilities. Material and Methods: The sample of this descriptive cross-sectional study consists of 197 families with children aged 6-16 years with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities living in Malatya, Türkiye. Demographic characteristics such as the participants' age, gender, weight, school type and parents' educational status, as well as daily usage hours of television, phone, computer, or tablet, physical activity participation status, and whether they were licensed athletes, were questioned. To evaluate sleep disturbances in individuals with intellectual disabilities, the "Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC)" was used. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS Statistics software. Normality was evaluated by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the distribution was found to be normal. The data obtained were analyzed using the Independent Samples T-Test and Pearson Correlation. Results: A positive and significant relationship was found between the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children scores and total daily blue light exposure (r = 0.296, p < 0.01) as well as pre-sleep blue light exposure (r = 0.439, p < 0.01). No statistically significant difference was observed between the SDSC scores of those who participated in physical activity and those who did not. No statistically significant difference was observed between the total daily blue light exposure or pre-sleep blue light exposure of those who participated in physical activity and those who did not (p > .05). Additionally, a statistically significant correlation was identified only between being a licensed athlete and total daily blue light exposure (p < 0.05). Conclusion: There is a positive relationship between blue light exposure and sleep disturbances in individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, physical activity participation alone did not affect SDSC score and blue light exposure, and in fact, the total daily blue light exposure of licensed children was higher than that of non-licensed children.