Abstract
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a heightened risk for obesity. Family-level measures of nutrition and physical activity may help explain factors contributing to disproportionate rates of weight gain. Twenty adolescents with ASD participated in baseline testing for a study to assess the feasibility of remotely-delivered yoga. Parents completed the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity (FNPA) survey and anthropometrics and physical activity were assessed in the adolescents. A median split was applied to the FNPA score to create high and low obesogenic environments and nonparametric O’Brien’s multiple endpoint tests were used to evaluate the differences. Between-group differences were found in anthropometrics (p = 0.01) but not physical activity (p = 0.72). Implications for a multifaceted family-based approach to obesity prevention are discussed.
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This study was funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant No. UA3MC25735), and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (Grant No. TL1TR002368)
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BCH, RNSF, LTP, RAW, and JED conceptualized the research idea and study design. BCH and RM conducted the data analysis and interpreted the results. JS led data collection. All authors assisted in writing the manuscript and completed multiple revisions.
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Helsel, B.C., Foster, R.N.S., Sherman, J. et al. The Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey: Comparisons with Obesity and Physical Activity in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 89–95 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05415-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05415-9