Brandy E Strahan
University of Florida, USA
Title: The effect of video-game playing on overweight/obese adolescents with autism spectrum disorders
Biography
Biography: Brandy E Strahan
Abstract
Obesity is a problem of epidemic proportions for children, and children with developmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are at higher risk (30.4%) than the general population (23.6%). Although numerous studies have addressed adolescent obesity in the typically developing population, none exists for adolescents with ASD. The ongoing dissertation research incorporates physical activity through video gaming that should appeal to the adolescent. A single subject, multiple baseline design will be used to determine if inactive and active video gaming has an effect on weight, BMI, waist-to-neck ratio, and triceps skinfold as well as self-reported stress and anxiety. Parental satisfaction will assessed to help determine the social validity of the intervention for improving health outcomes
