Physical Activity, Screen Media Use and Sleep of Children With Developmental Disorders in Singapore: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Highlights More research is available on the on- and off-screen behaviors of typically developing children but substantially less research is available on these behaviors among children with developmental disabilities (CwDD). As CwDD have different lifestyle needs and profiles than typically developing children, there exists an unmet need for a lifestyle and time-use questionnaire which examines screen-viewing time, physical activity time, and sleep duration of CwDD. This behavioral research report presents pilot results on the lifestyle behaviors of CwDD in Singapore using a validated questionnaire called Parent-surveillance of digital media habits in childhood Questionnaire® (Parent-smalQ®) on this largely unexplored group of children. The Singapore integrated 24-h guidelines stipulate that for optimal development, children should acquire a lifestyle that integrates regular physical activity, limited sedentary behavior, adequate sleep, among other lifestyle behaviors. This research report provides additional insights into the prevalence of CwDD in meeting the Singapore integrated 24-h guidelines recommendations.