Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41645179›Full record

SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2026

Obesogenic behaviors during structured periods among children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Keagan P Kiely, Keith Brazendale, McKenna Hill, Sarah Burkart, Michael W Beets, Elizabeth L Adams, Bridget Armstrong, Christine St Laurent, Abigail Hogan, James W White Iii and 4 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Keagan P KielyDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA. Kkiely@mailbox.sc.edu.
Keith BrazendaleDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.
McKenna HillDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Sarah BurkartDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Michael W BeetsDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Elizabeth L AdamsDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Bridget ArmstrongDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Christine St LaurentDepartment of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
Abigail HoganDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
James W White IiiDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Olivia FinneganDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Joshua CulverhouseDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
Anthony HolmesDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.
R Glenn WeaverDepartment of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at greater risk for obesity and poor obesogenic behaviors (e.g., physical activity, screen time, diet, sleep) than their typically developing counterparts. The Structured Days Hypothesis (SDH) suggests that in typically developing children and adolescents, obesogenic behaviors worsen during periods of reduced structure (e.g., weekend or summer vacation). However, children and adolescents with IDD have unique factors that may alter how structure (i.e., pre-planned, segmented, adult supervised, out-of-home programs) influences obesogenic behaviors. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine obesogenic behaviors during periods of more and less structure among children and adolescents with IDD.

methodsA comprehensive search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science was performed through the end of 2024 based on the PICO framework. Studies were eligible if they included youth with IDD and measured obesogenic behaviors across contexts with differing degrees of structure. Two reviewers independently completed the screening process, extracted all relevant information, and evaluated methodological quality using the NHLBI tool. Results were synthesized using fixed- and random-effects meta-analyses and visually represented with forest plots.

resultsA total of 4,236 papers were screened with 323 full-text articles retrieved. After screening, 33 total studies were identified (physical activity = 23, sedentary behaviors = 12, sleep = 11, diet = 1). Meta-analyses indicated that the standardized mean difference of physical activity (Random = 0.27, [95%CI: 0.13-0.40], p < 0.00), and diet (0.16, [95%CI: 0.03-0.29], p = 0.02) aligned with the SDH while sleep (Random = -0.01, [95%CI: -0.16-0.14], p = 0.88), sedentary and screen time (Random = -0.01, [95%CI: -0.38-0.36], p = 0.95) did not align.

conclusionsPeriods of greater structure were associated with more favorable physical activity and diet outcomes among children and adolescents with IDD, although evidence for dietary behaviors was limited. Findings support the relevance of the SDH in this population while highlighting substantial gaps in the literature, including small study numbers and methodological heterogeneity. Future research using rigorous, longitudinal designs is needed to better understand the relationship between structure and obesogenic behaviors among children and adolescents with IDD.

Indexed as

Developmental DisabilitiesExerciseHealth BehaviorIntellectual DisabilityPediatric ObesityAdolescentChildDietHumansObesityScreen TimeSedentary BehaviorSleepDevelopmental disabilitiesIntellectual disabilitiesObesogenic behaviors

Identifiers

PMID41645179
PMCPMC12973698

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.