Do children with Down syndrome perform sufficient physical activity to maintain good health? A pilot study.

Our pilot study investigated if children with Down syndrome engaged in the recommended 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) every day. Twenty-three children with Down syndrome (7 girls, 16 boys; mean age 11.7 years, SD = 3.1) wore a triaxial accelerometer for 7 consecutive days to measure their activity levels. The average daily MVPA undertaken was 104.5 min ( SD = 35.3 min). Only 8 of 19 children (42.1%) completed at least 60 min of MVPA each day. Lower amounts of activity were associated with older children (r = -.67, p < .01). Parents, teachers, and health professionals need to encourage children with Down syndrome to take part in more frequent MVPA.