Associations between physical activity and emotional and behavioural problems in Chinese children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Emotional and behavioural problems (EBPs) are the two main forms of mental health problems that hinder the social interactions, learning and daily living of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID). Studies have shown that sufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with mental health outcomes among children and adolescents with typically developing (TD). However, these associations have not been fully studied in children and adolescent with ID, especially in samples from China. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations between MVPA and EBPs in Chinese children and adolescents with ID.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 116 students with ID (35.34% girls) aged 6-18 years. The wGT3-BT accelerometer was used to measure physical activity (PA), and the Chinese version of the parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the participants' EBPs. A series of binary logical regression analyses was conducted to examine the ability of the MVPA guideline attainment in predicting EBPs in the total sample.

Results: The descriptive results showed that 43.97% of children and adolescents with ID present with EBPs. After controlling for age, sex, ID severity and weight status, logistic regression analysis indicated that the participants who meet the MVPA guideline exhibited significantly lower odds ratio for emotional symptoms (OR = 0.334, 95% CI [0.114-0.975], p = 0.045), peer problems (OR = 0.071, 95% CI [0.015-0.328], p < 0.001) and total difficulties (OR = 0.192, 95% CI [0.069-0.535], p = 0.002) compared with those who did not meet the guidelines.

Conclusion: The prevalence of EBPs in Chinese children and adolescents with ID remains high. Children and adolescents with ID meeting the MVPA guideline were more likely to have lower risks for emotional symptoms, peer problems and total difficulties than those who did not meet the guidelines. Future research adopting longitudinal or interventional designs to determine the relationships between PA and EBPs in this population are expected.