Barriers to and Facilitators of Physical Activity Engagement - Black youth are at a greater health risk when compared to their white counterparts due to structural racism. Interventions to address health disparities within Black communities are limited due to the historical abuse and racism that create barriers to participating in the health-related research. This is of particular concern in the diagnoses of Black youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which has been increasing in the U.S. Black youth are already at greater cardiometabolic risk when compared to their white counterparts, and independent of race, autistic youth face health disparities when compared to their non-autistic peers. While programs have begun to be developed to address racial health disparities for non-autistic developing youth in Black communities, less is known about interventions to address the health of Black autistic youth. It has been suggested that adults with autism have a lower health-related quality of life (HrQoL), when compared to non-autistic adults, which may have been carried over from childhood. It can be assumed that Black autistic youth may have a lower HrQoL than white autistic youth, and non-autistic youth, due to their intersecting identities, which are both associated with increased health risks.
Physical activity (PA) is a modality with myriad benefits for youth in general and specifically autistic youth; however, autistic youth are much less likely to engage in PA than their non-autistic peers. Sedentary behaviors in autistic youth increase the risk of exacerbating symptoms associated with autism. Barriers to and facilitators of PA engagement for autistic youth have been examined in the literature, and this knowledge can lead to PA programs that are more accessible for autistic youth. Importantly, however, Black voices are not typically included in these studies. Frameworks exist to support people with varying disabilities across the lifespan based on barriers that have been found in the literature. However, the lack of Black voices in defining barriers lead to their exclusion in these frameworks. Currently, no studies examine how the intersection of race and autism may uniquely affect Black youth and their caregivers' perceptions of, and decisions to participate in PA programming.
The long-term goal of this research is to develop a tool that acts as a framework to support the creation and adaptation of evidenced based PA programming for Black autistic youth. There are several existing frameworks to support people with varying disabilities across the lifespan. However, there is a notable absence of Black participants in the formation of these frameworks. The objective of the proposed research is to understand the experiences of Black autistic youth and their caregivers regarding PA engagement, which will inform better PA interventions for the community. To achieve the objectives of the study the following aims will be explored:
Aim 1: Understand the barriers to and facilitators of PA participation in Black autistic youth (ages 13-22) by analyzing semi-structured interviews. We expect to uncover unique barriers and facilitators due to the intersectional experience of being Black and autistic.
Aim 2: Understand the barriers to and facilitators of PA participation in caregivers of Black autistic youth (ages 13-22) by analyzing semi-structured. We expect to uncover unique barriers and facilitators due to the under explored experience of being Black while caring for Black autistic youth.
