Children With Disabilities May Not Get Adequate Exercise In School

A new study from Hong Kong suggests that children with disabilities spend a large amount of their time at school just sitting and get little or no exercise, even during the recess and gym class.

Though physical activities are mandatory for the growth and development of all children, these children with disabilities do not get the required 1 hour of exercise per day, researchers have reported.

Children prone to severe intellectual disabilities when compared with children suffering from other kinds of disabilities, were found to be least active physically. It has been proven that physical inactivity is a serious problem across the globe and its relationship with obesity and related issues is well established.

"Children with disabilities are less physically active, tend to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle, and are at three to six times greater risk for obesity," Sit told Reuters Health by email.

To get the accurate information regarding the amount of exercise practiced by children with disabilities during their day at school, the research team analyzed 259 children of the age group 6-23 years from 13 schools in Hong Kong and collected data on the time these students spent sitting and exercising throughout the day majorly focusing on gym class, lunch time and recess.

The children with disabilities like visual or hearing impairments, physical or intellectual disabilities and social involvement issues were given accelerometers to be worn. These devices detect movement. The team observed that what these students did during their gym class, recess and lunchtime played a crucial role in the children's exercise and no movement or sitting time totaled for any day. Recess had the largest effect on levels of daily activity.

 The study concluded that children with disabilities spent quite less time doing any moderate to intense activity for an average of 17 minutes each day, which is much less than the recommended 60 minutes. The team then advised schools to support these children while performing vigorous exercises in addition to helping them break the long periods of sitting or no movement.

Short breaks in sitting, sometimes with standing or walking, or indulging in little physical activity can be beneficial in terms of health as it may reduce blood pressure and probability of weight gain.

Also, parents were advised to look for instructors or clubs where the children feel supported. It is important for them to understand the importance of physical activity throughout their lives. The team encouraged parents to reduce the time their children spent in front of screens and motivate them to take part in exercise at home.