PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH LONG TERM ILLNESSES OR DISABILITIES IN FINNISH GENERAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) of adolescents with long term illnesses or disabilities (LTID) in general educationis examined to provide evidence of PA levels from specific population groups. This study describes the PAlevels of adolescents with LTID based on recommendations of daily 60mins of moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA) and vigorous leisure time PA (VPA) of at least two times a week for at least one hour per week.Finnish data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study was pooled from 2002and 2010 surveys. 1126 respondents (14.6%) self-reported as having a LTID and details of main categoriesof LTID were used to examine PA behaviours. Overall, 15.6% of adolescents with LTID reported dailyMVPA. In their leisure time, 74.0% of adolescents with LTID had met the VPA recommendation. Thesefigures are lower than other reported literature on PA amongst adolescents. PA of adolescents with LTIDin general education can be seen as a complex collection of different categories. Boys were more activethan girls. Younger adolescents were more active than older. A closer look into the many domains of LTIDdemonstrated how various LTID groups differ and share similar PA patterns.