Leisure Time Physical Activity Energy Expenditure in Boys with Developmental Coordination Disorder: The Role of Peer Relations Self-Concept Perceptions

Abstract

An integral aspect of occupational therapy practice is the facilitation of active participation in health-enhancing leisure for all individuals. Boys with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are at risk of limited participation in recreational physical activities, which has implications for physical health associated with low energy expenditure. Therefore, identification of mechanisms influencing relationships between physical coordination ability and physical activity energy expenditure is warranted. Self-concept perceptions were investigated as potential mechanisms influencing energy expenditure during the out-of-school hours for boys with DCD. Participants were 60 boys with DCD and 113 boys without DCD between 10 and 13 years of age who were assessed by the Self-Description Questionnaire-I and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. Parents completed 7-day diaries that were used to record intensity, duration, content, and social and physical context of leisure time activities. Boys with DCD were found to have lower mean scores than boys without DCD for energy expenditure and self-concept appraisals of physical ability and physical appearance, peer relations and parent relations, and general self-concepts. The peer relations self-concept was identified as a significant mechanism mediating the relationship between physical coordination ability and low energy expenditure. The clinical significance of the peer relations self-concept as a change mechanism influencing the negative relationship between physical coordination ability and sedentary behavior is discussed.