ERIC Number: EJ1454852
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jan
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: EISSN-1461-7005
Available Date: N/A
Characterizing Self-Reported Physical Activity before and during a Subsequent Pregnancy among Parents in a Familial Autism Cohort
Megan G. Bragg; Olivia Vesey; Jorge E. Chavarro; Jaime E. Hart; Loni Philip Tabb; Marc G. Weisskopf; Lisa A. Croen; Daniele Fallin; Irva Hertz-Picciotto; Craig Newschaffer; Rebecca J. Schmidt; Heather Volk; Kristen Lyall
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v29 n1 p143-154 2025
Parents of autistic children report barriers to engaging in physical activity, which may be exacerbated during subsequent pregnancies. We aimed to describe physical activity of parents caring for an autistic child, before and during a subsequent pregnancy, and to explore whether physical activity was associated with the autistic child's Social Responsiveness Scale score, a measure of autism-related traits. We used data from the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, in which families with an autistic child were followed through a subsequent pregnancy. Mothers (n = 245) self-reported physical activity in the 3 months before conception and during pregnancy; fathers (n = 130) reported on the 6 months prior to enrollment. Approximately 40% of nonpregnant mothers and fathers and 9.3% of pregnant mothers met Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendations. Most (83.5%) pregnant mothers reported no vigorous activity; after adjustment for covariates, this was more common among mothers of children with Social Responsiveness Scale T-scores >75 compared with mothers of children with lower T-scores (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.94 (1.11, 7.78)). Among parents caring for an autistic child before and during a subsequent pregnancy, physical activity was lower than recommended. Family-based interventions may be necessary to help support physical activity levels.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Barriers, Physical Activity Level, Pregnancy, Child Rearing, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Mothers, Fathers, Health Behavior, Individual Characteristics, Child Behavior
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; Pennsylvania (Philadelphia); Maryland (Baltimore)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Social Responsiveness Scale; Child Behavior Checklist; Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01ES03246901A1; P30ES000002; R01ES016443
Author Affiliations: N/A