070 - Current and Previous Developmental Delay and Participation in Physical Activity

Publication Number: 70.4170

Claire Adam, University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences, Missoula, MT, United States; Erin O. Semmens, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States; Erika Fox, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States; Sophia R. Newcomer, University of Montana Center for Population Health Research, Missoula, MT, United States

Background: Physical activity (PA) is a key component of health promotion and disease prevention for all children. Children with developmental delays may experience barriers to PA, as many opportunities for PA require age-appropriate skills in multiple areas of development.

Objective: Our objective was to quantify participation in PA among U.S. children with current and past developmental delays

Design/Methods: We analyzed data on children ages 6-17 years from the 2016-2023 National Survey of Children’s Health. Based on parent’s self-report, we identified children with current developmental delay, previous developmental delay, and no history of developmental delay or current special health care needs (Tables 1 and 2). The outcomes of interest were participation in 60 minutes or more of physical activity on any day in the previous week (yes/no) and the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of PA on every day of the previous week (yes/no). We used multivariable logistic regression to quantify the associations between current and previous delay and PA. Analyses accounted for the complex survey design, including applying weights for nationally-representative estimates.

Results: In analyses of 161,932 children, few met the recommended guidelines for PA (22%); however, most children participated in at least 60 minutes of PA on one day in the previous week (91%). Relative to those with no history of developmental delay or special healthcare needs, those with current (OR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.53) and previous (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.71) developmental delay had significantly decreased odds of participating in any physical activity. Those with current (OR: 0.84 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.94) and previous (OR: 0.80 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.96) developmental delay also had significantly lower odds of meeting PA guidelines in fully adjusted models (Table 3).

Conclusion(s): Children with current and previous developmental delay are less likely to participate in any PA or meet PA guidelines, putting them at risk for a lifelong reduction in PA and increased risk of preventable health outcomes. This study specifically focused on children with previous developmental delay, who may not have access to ongoing therapies and services, but whose previous delays have the potential to continue to impact their ability to participate in PA. Ongoing interventions and support for children with current and previous delays and their caregivers may be necessary to facilitate adequate participation in PA.

Table 1. Characteristics of children and adolescents, and their caregivers included in the study sample from the National Survey of Children’s Health (2016-2023) with current, previous, or no history of developmental delay or current special health care needs.
Notes: *Mean and standard error. Means, standard errors and percentages are weighted, counts are unweighted. Federal poverty level is based on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program income groups.

Table 2. Current therapy, diagnoses, and areas of delay for children and adolescents included in the study sample from the National Survey of Children’s Health (2016-2023) with current, previous, or no history of developmental delay or current special health care needs.
Notes: Percentages are weighted, counts are unweighted. * Memory impairment includes “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions”. **Physical pain is a report of “repeated or chronic pain” in the previous 12 months.

Table 3. Results of multivariable logistic regression models to quantify the association between current, previous, and no history of developmental delay or current special health care needs (reference group) and participation in some physical activity, and participation in physical activity meeting recommended guidelines of 60 minutes every day.
Notes: A priori models were adjusted for child’s age and sex, survey year, federal poverty level, caregiver’s physical health, fully adjusted models were additionally adjusted for child’s general health, current insurance coverage, and race, caregiver’s age, sex, mental health, and highest level of education. The sensitivity analysis is the fully adjusted model without excluding children with special health care needs from the reference group.