Investigation On Health-related Physical Fitness Status Of Preschool Children With Autism And Research On Influencing Factors

Purposes: The aim of this study was to preliminarily explore a health-related physical fitness test protocol suitable for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders by literature analysis;exploring the health-related physical fitness status of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders through a cross-sectional comparison with typical development children of the same age;To explore the factors associated with health-related physical fitness of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder by means of a questionna.Methods: BMI,20-meter round-trip run,tennis long throw,standing long jump,isometric push-up,seated forward bend and one-leg stand tests were used to reflect the subjects’ body composition,cardiorespiratory endurance,muscle strength and muscle endurance,flexibility and balance ability;the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition(TGMD-2)was used to assess the level of gross motor skill development of the subjects;a questionnaire was used to collect information on the medical history,diet and nutrition,sleep,and physical activity of children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents’ educational level and socioeconomic income.Differences in health levels and motor skill development between preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders and typical development children were explored through betweengroup comparisons;factors associated with the health status of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders were explored through correlation analyses.Results: A total of 100 children were included,including 50 children with autism spectrum disorders(43 boys,mean age 61.5(54.8,68.0)months)and 50 typical development children(37 boys,mean age 62.5(54.8,66.3)months).The results of the study showed that children with autism spectrum disorders performed significantly lower than typical development children on the 20-meter round-trip run,tennis ball toss,isometric push-ups,and one-leg stand tests,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Although the BMI,standing long jump and sitting forward flexion scores of children with autism spectrum disorder are slightly different from those of normal developmental children,the differences are not statistically significant(P>0.05).Children with autism spectrum disorders had significantly lower gross motor test total scores,displacement motor skill total scores,and object manipulation skill total scores than children in the control group(P<0.05).With the exception of body composition,isometric push-ups and seated forward bends,the remaining Health-related physical fitness test indicators in children with autism spectrum disorders correlated with gross motor development in children with autism spectrum disorders,with the 20-meter round-trip run(r=0.279;r=0.288),standing long jump(r=0.272;r=0.278)and one-legged stance test(r=0.310;r=0.308)were positively correlated with total displacement motor skill scores and total gross motor test scores,and the tennis ball toss(r=0.246;r=0.242)was positively correlated with total object manipulation skill scores and total gross motor test scores.The standing long jump index was also positively correlated with the average daily duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children with autism spectrum disorders(r=0.312).The results of the study indicated that there was no correlation between the education level of both parents and the Health-related physical fitness of children with autism spectrum disorders,and that the income level of the mother was positively correlated with the cardiorespiratory endurance(r=0.281),lower limb muscle strength(r=0.244)and balance(r=0.307)of children with autism spectrum disorders,while the income level of the father was positively correlated with the flexibility of children with autism spectrum disorders(r=0.297)was positively correlated with flexibility(r=0.297)in children with autism spectrum disorders.In addition,balance(r=-0.228)and muscle endurance level(r=-0.307)of children with autism spectrum disorders were also negatively correlated with the age of the caregiver.However,the relationships between each of these factors and Health-related physical fitness in children with autism spectrum disorders were low.Conclusions: 1.Children with autism spectrum disorder can face the risk of impairment of healthy physical fitness and motor skills at an early stage,and the performance of cardiorespiratory endurance,upper limb muscle strength,waist and abdominal muscle endurance,balance ability and gross motor development level are significantly lower than those of normal development children.2.The healthy physical fitness level of children with autism spectrum disorder was positively correlated with the level of motor skill development,time of moderate and high-intensity physical activity,and parents’ economic level,and negatively correlated with the age of caregivers.