“Capturing the magic”: identifying the active ingredients of a physical activity participation intervention for children and youth with disabilities

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to define the active ingredients of a participation-focused physical activity intervention for children and youth with disabilities.

Materials and methods

An ethnographic approach was employed, triangulating participant observation, interviews and focus groups. Participant recruitment occurred through purposive sampling of staff employed at Beitostolen Healthsports Centre (BHC), and paediatric service providers visiting the centre. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded together with observation data. Secondary coding linked data to corresponding categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Child and Youth version.

Results

Thirteen staff from BHC and 7 paediatric service providers participated in the study. Fourteen active ingredients were identified and were characterised at the level of the intervention (k = 8), the organisation (k = 4), and the individual (k = 2). Within the ingredients, 53 unique ICF-CY categories were identified. Twenty-six categories belonged to the ICF-CY component of “environment,” and 26 categories to “activities and participation.” No categories related to “body functions” or “body structures.”

Conclusions

The role of the environment, and specifically support and relationships, may be an essential consideration for enabling physical activity participation. Outcomes may guide program design and implementation to promote and sustain physical activity behaviours for children and youth with disabilities.

Implications for rehabilitation

1. The active ingredients identified in this study may guide the design and implementation of programs to promote and sustain physical activity behaviours of children and youth with disabilities.

2. Leadership qualities and strength-based attitudes may be key characteristics of organisational practice that optimise outcomes for children and families.

3. A “relationship-centred” approach, i.e., a network of children, families, health professionals, peers, mentors, and services in the community, may support children and young people with disabilities to achieve their physical activity participation goals.

Keywords:

• Exercise
• environment
• cerebral palsy
• adolescent
• therapist
• mechanism

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all of the participants who took part in this study. We wish to thank Team Leader Tor Erik Nyquist (MSc) for his assistance in the organisation of data collection. In addition, we wish to acknowledge The Participate Project Steering Group for their valuable input, direction and discussion. A Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation scholarship supported the first authors’ time compiling this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Data availability statement

The authors obtained ethical approval for this study from Princess Margaret Hospital, The University of Western Australia, and the Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics under the condition that data be kept confidential. Participants were also recruited under the same conditions. Aggregate anonymised datasets will only be made available from the corresponding author on request, and with ethical approval.