Barriers to Physical Activity Participation in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Sarvin Salar, Bojan Jorgić, Mihai Olănescu, Ilie Danut Popa
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders tend to participate in less physical activity. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to physical activity participation in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on parental reports. METHODS: The sample comprised 370 children and adolescents with ASD, aged 8-20 years. Simple random sampling was selected. We designed a questionnaire and used the survey method for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The results revealed several barriers to physical activity participation: interpersonal barriers were the top priority, followed by friends and peers as well as psychological factors as the second and third priorities. Additionally, family, cognition, management and planning, social and cultural factors, and skills were identified as the fourth through eighth barriers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing effective school- and community-based strategies to promote physical activity participation.