The adaptation of the GameSquad exergaming intervention for young adults with Down syndrome: A pilot feasibility study.

Background: Exergames may be a feasible alternative to in-person exercise that is adaptable for adults with Down Syndrome (DS).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct a 12-week pilot trial to assess the feasibility of exergames for adults with DS.

Methods: Adults with DS were provided Ring Fit Adventure™ which uses a resistance ring and body weight to perform cardiovascular and strength exercises.

GamerFit-ASD beta test: adapting an evidence-based exergaming and telehealth coaching intervention for autistic youth.

Background: Health disparities faced by autistic youth are exacerbated by inadequate physical activity (PA) and sleep, whereas healthy PA and sleep may improve mood and function. Adaptive Game Squad (AGS) is an evidence-based telehealth coaching and exergaming intervention to improve PA and sleep for adolescents with diverse neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. This study aimed to adapt AGS for autistic youth ages 10-15 years; beta-test the modified intervention for feasibility, accessibility, and engagement; and further refine the intervention for a larger planned demonstration pilot.

Access to physical activity promotion for people with neurological conditions: Are physical therapists leading the way?

Background: People with neurological conditions (NCs) engage in physical activity (PA) at a lower rate than those without disabilities. Physical therapists (PTs) are positioned to provide PA promotion; however, less is known about the consistency of promoting PA for their patients with NC.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of PA promotion of PTs who treat patients with NC, the factors associated with PA promotion, and the types of PA promotion used.

Racial and ethnic disparities in obesity and contributions of social determinants of health among boys with autism spectrum disorder.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at greater obesity risk compared to typically developing peers. Although many potential risk factors for this relationship have been identified, the causal chain must be better understood, particularly modifiable social determinants of obesity risk in ASD, and especially for children with ASD from minoritized racial/ethnic groups. We aimed to: (1) examine racial/ethnic disparities in obesity status in boys with ASD; (2) assess associations between social determinants of health and obesity status; and (3) understand if social determinants of health factors mediate the relationship between race/ethnicity and obesity status for these youth.

Passive and social screen time in children with autism and in association with obesity.

Background: Screen time has been identified as a risk factor for childhood obesity, but the media landscape has evolved rapidly. Children with autism tend to be heavy users of screens and have an elevated prevalence of obesity. We know little about screen use patterns among children with autism vs.

An 8-Week Peer Health Coaching Intervention among College Students: A Pilot Randomized Study.

This study explored the effects of an 8-week peer coaching program on physical activity (PA), diet, sleep, social isolation, and mental health among college students in the United States. A total of 52 college students were recruited and randomized to the coaching (n = 28) or the control group (n = 24). The coaching group met with a trained peer health coach once a week for 8 weeks focusing on self-selected wellness domains.

Relationship Between Childhood Obesity and Autism Spectrum Disorder Varies by Child's Age and Parents' Weight Status in a Sample of Sibling Dyads.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to have obesity compared to children without ASD, but studies may report biased estimates because of limitations accounting for potentially important factors that may differ between these two groups of children. This study of siblings in "simplex" families (, families that include only one offspring with ASD) avoids these potential pitfalls. The Simons Simplex Collection was used to create sibling dyads comprising a child with a clinically confirmed diagnosis of ASD and a full sibling without ASD within the same biological family.

Child ADHD and autistic traits, eating behaviours and weight: A population-based study.

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have an increased obesity risk. Although these conditions commonly co-occur, shared factors relating to obesity risk are unknown.

Objectives: To examine the shared and unique associations of ADHD and autistic traits with eating behaviours and BMI.

Presenting a New Framework to Improve Engagement in Physical Activity Programs for Children and Adolescents With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Disabilities.

Children and adolescents with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face enormous health disparities, and the prevalence of these disorders is increasing. Social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities (SEBD) often co-occur with each other and are associated with unique barriers to engaging in free-living physical activity (PA), community-based exercise and sports programming, and school-based physical education. Some examples of these barriers include the significantly depleted parental reserve capacity associated with SEBD in children, child dysregulation, and previous negative experiences with PA programming and/or exclusion.

Adapting Active Science to PE Curricula: Examining Feasibility and Acceptability in Low-Income, Urban Public Schools.

: Children in low-income, urban areas are at a greater risk of poor physical activity (PA) and academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine feasibility, acceptability, and engagement of a pilot implementation of the Active Science (AS) exer-learning program in 3 grade physical education (PE) classes to inform potential upscaling after efficacy evaluation. : AS was implemented within PE at five public schools serving low-income, urban neighborhoods, using a phased implementation approach.

Barriers and facilitators to physical education, sport, and physical activity program participation among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

Children and adolescents with heterogeneous psychiatric disorders, of whom over 50% have a second psychiatric comorbidity, have low rates of physical activity and experience unique challenges to engaging in community-based exercise programming, school-based physical education programming, and targeted physical activity interventions. This contributes to elevated rates of gross and fine motor delays, lower mood and self-regulation, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Perform a systematic scoping review of the literature to assess known barriers to and facilitators of engaging in physical activity programming among children and adolescents with heterogeneous and/or comorbid psychiatric disorders, in order to improve engagement among this population in real world intervention settings.

The Adaptive GameSquad Xbox-Based Physical Activity and Health Coaching Intervention for Youth With Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Diagnoses: Pilot Feasibility Study.

Background: The prevalence of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses (NPDs) in youth is increasing, and unhealthy physical activity (PA), diet, screen time, and sleep habits contribute to the chronic disease disparities and behavioral challenges this population experiences.

Objective: This pilot study aims to adapt a proven exergaming and telehealth PA coaching intervention for typically developing youth with overweight or obesity; expand it to address diet, screen, and sleep behaviors; and then test its feasibility and acceptability, including PA engagement, among youth with NPDs.

Methods: Participants (N=23; mean age 15.

Promoting Sleep and Balanced Screen Time among School-Aged Children with Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Disorders: A Parent Perspective.

Children with neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders (N/MHD), such as autism spectrum, mood disorders, and anxiety, are more likely to engage in excessive screen time, receive insufficient sleep, and to have obesity than neurotypical peers. However, little is known about how parents of these children approach promoting sleep and balanced screen time. We conducted semistructured interviews with 24 parents of children aged 8-15 years with a diagnosis of N/MHD to assess barriers and facilitators to promoting sleep and balanced screen time.

Shaping healthy habits in children with neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders: parent perceptions of barriers, facilitators and promising strategies.

Objective: Prevalence of pediatric neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders (ND/MHD) is increasing in the United States and globally. ND/MHD are associated with higher risk of poor dietary, physical activity (PA), screen, and sleep habits in youth, contributing to elevated lifetime chronic disease risk. ND/MHD symptoms can present unique challenges to parenting, create competing parenting priorities, and may decrease parental capacity to instill healthy habits.

Do ADHD-impulsivity and BMI have shared polygenic and neural correlates?

There is an extensive body of literature linking ADHD to overweight and obesity. Research indicates that impulsivity features of ADHD account for a degree of this overlap. The neural and polygenic correlates of this association have not been thoroughly examined.

Children's Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Predict Lower Diet Quality but Not Vice Versa: Results from Bidirectional Analyses in a Population-Based Cohort.

Background: As an adjuvant for medication, dietary changes focused on specific nutrients have been proposed to prevent or reduce attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, whether an overall healthy dietary pattern is associated with ADHD symptom severity during childhood remains unclear. Furthermore, it is not clear what the direction of this association is.

ADHD Medication, Dietary Patterns, Physical Activity, and BMI in Children: A Longitudinal Analysis of the ECLS-K Study.

Objective: This study examined relationships between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), stimulant use, and BMI change in a nationally representative cohort of children as well as differences in diet and physical activity that may mediate associations between stimulant use and BMI change.

Methods: By using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort 1998-1999 (N = 8,250), we modeled BMI and z score change by ADHD and stimulant start time, examined the odds of unhealthy diet and physical activity predicted by ADHD and stimulant use, and performed mediation analysis assessing indirect effects of health behaviors.

Results: Early stimulant use predicted short-term BMI reductions, but any stimulant use predicted increased BMI growth between fifth grade (mean age = 11.

Physical Activity Interventions for Children with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Disabilities-A Systematic Review.

Objective: Perform a systematic review of the available literature regarding the effectiveness of exercise interventions on children with any type of social, emotional, or behavioral disability (SEBD), with attention to a range of physiological, behavioral, and mood outcomes.

Methods: Six databases were searched using a systematic methodology. References of included studies, as well as relevant reviews, were also examined.

Cybercycling Effects on Classroom Behavior in Children With Behavioral Health Disorders: An RCT.

Background And Objectives: Exercise is linked with improved cognition and behavior in children in clinical and experimental settings. This translational study examined if an aerobic cybercycling intervention integrated into physical education (PE) resulted in improvements in behavioral self-regulation and classroom functioning among children with mental health disabilities attending a therapeutic day school.

Methods: Using a 14-week crossover design, students (N = 103) were randomly assigned by classroom (k = 14) to receive the 7-week aerobic cybercycling PE curriculum during fall 2014 or spring 2015.

A cybercycling intervention to improve behavioral regulation and classroom functioning among children with behavioral health disorders: Pragmatic randomized trial design for Manville Moves.

While positive and clinically meaningful effects of exercise on cognition and behavior in children have been demonstrated in controlled experimental settings, they have rarely been translated and rigorously evaluated in real-world environments. In particular, there is a lack of research on school-based approaches to sustainable physical activity and exercise interventions targeting children with behavioral health disorders. Manville Moves is an exercise intervention designed to improve behavioral regulation and classroom functioning among children with neurodevelopmental and affective disorders within a therapeutic day-school environment.

Healthy Foods, Healthy Families: combining incentives and exposure interventions at urban farmers' markets to improve nutrition among recipients of US federal food assistance.

Background: Healthy Foods, Healthy Families (HFHF) is a fruit and vegetable (F&V) exposure/incentive program implemented at farmers' markets in low-income neighborhoods, targeting families receiving US federal food assistance. We examined program effects on participants' diet and associations between attendance, demographics and dietary change.

Methods: Exposure activities included F&V tastings and cooking demonstrations.