THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENERAL HEALTH STATUS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MOTHERS OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the general health status and physical activity of mothers of children with autism and to evaluate the results according to their sociodemographic characteristics. The population of the study consists of mothers who have children with autism and live in Türkiye (İzmir Province). A total of 270 women participated voluntarily as the sample group. The study was conducted using the survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. In the study, a personal information form prepared by the researchers, the General Health Questionnaire, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire available in the literature were used. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS 23 statistical package program. Since the results of the normality tests indicated that the data were not normally distributed, non-parametric analysis techniques were applied in the evaluation of the data. The Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance (K–W ANOVA) were used to determine differences between groups, and the Dunn–Bonferroni test was used to identify the sources of these differences. Correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationships between the measured parameters. In the research findings, statistically significant differences were found in the total scores of the General Health Questionnaire of mothers of children with autism according to age groups, economic status, educational status, and first aid training status (p < 0.05). While statistically significant differences were found in the total physical activity scores of mothers of children with autism according to economic status and first aid training status (p < 0.05), no statistically significant differences were observed according to age groups and educational status (p > 0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between the total physical activity scores of mothers of children with autism and the total scores of the General Health Questionnaire (p > 0.05). As a result, it was observed that variables such as age, educational status, economic status, and first aid training have determining effects on the general health status of mothers of children with autism. Economic status and first aid training were found to be effective on physical activity. These findings emphasize the necessity of empowering interventions aimed at supporting the physical activity and general health status of mothers of children with autism. As a result of this study, information about mothers of children with autism will be obtained, and an evaluation directed toward mothers can be carried out.