Accelerometer-measured physical activity among children and adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Physical inactivity is a health concern for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) as it directly increases their risk of developing various health problems. Evidence on differences in accelerometer-assessed physical activity between children and adolescents with and without NDDs is inconclusive. And age- and body mass index (BMI)-related effects on physical activity remain unclear. Methods The systematic literature searches were performed in 6 databases up to March 2025. Methodological quality was evaluated by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scales. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. Hedges’ g was used to express the effect size index with 95 % confidence interval (CI). Meta-regression on age and BMI was also performed to investigate the potential moderating effects. Results Out of the 2167 studies initially identified, 28 were included in the analysis, which comprised total physical activity (TPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and light physical activity (LPA) included in the meta-analysis, respectively. These studies involved 1060 children and adolescents with NDDs and 1820 without, aged 6.6–16.9 years. A small-to-moderate effect size exists for the difference in TPA (g=-0.299) and MVPA (g=-0.479) between children and adolescents with and without NDD, particularly indicating a difference in 12.7 min of MVPA daily. The difference in LPA was not significant (g =0.450, p = 0.125). The decline in MVPA with age was more pronounced in those with NDDs, and the difference in MVPA was smaller for those with lower BMI. Conclusion The variation in MVPA differences by age and BMI highlights the need to develop better physical activity habits and reduce these disparities for children and adolescents with NDDs.