Analysis of sedentary behaviour levels and patterns in adults with Down syndrome.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour (SB) among adults with Down syndrome (DS) may differ based on personal or environmental factors. OBJECTIVE: Investigate differences in SB levels and patterns of adults with DS based on sex, age, and residence-type across weekdays and weekends. METHODS: Thirty-four adults with DS (15 men; 37 ± 12 years) underwent accelerometry-based measurements of sedentary time, bouts, and breaks for 7 days. We evaluated differences with 2 × 2 mixed-model (group-by-day) ANOVA. RESULTS: Younger (19-36 years) individuals had less sedentary time (p = .042), and shorter (p = .048) and fewer (p = .012) bouts than older (37-60 years) individuals. Group home residents had more bouts on weekends than adults living with parent/guardians (p = .015). CONCLUSIONS: Adults with DS spent half their waking hours in SB of short bouts. Age and residence may influence SB.