Having Fun and Staying Active! Children with Disabilities and Participation in Physical Activity: A Follow-Up Study

ABSTRACT

Aim: This study investigated change in the participation profile of physical activity over 15 months after a three-week intensive rehabilitation that used physical activity as the main intervention. Methods: The Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) was used in a longitudinal prospective study (pre- and post-design) with three measurements over 15 months. Eighty children with physical disabilities (6–17 years old; mean score 11.1; SD 2.4), some with additional cognitive challenges, completed all three measurements. Results: Participation diversity and intensity of all 55 leisure activities declined significantly over the 15-month period. The largest decline was for children aged between 10 and 13 years. Among physical activities, there was a stable level of participation of the total group, and sub-groups. Boys preferred “active physical activities” to a greater extent, while girls preferred “skill-based activities.” Both genders expressed a higher level of enjoyment in their preferred activities according to the Preferences for Activities of Children. Conclusions: This intervention may have the potential to maintain the level of physical activity among children and youths with disabilities, yet further controlled studies are needed. Gender differences should be taken into consideration to facilitate stable participation in physical activities with a high level of enjoyment.

KEYWORDS:

• Participation
• physical activity
• enjoyment
• children
• disabilities
• Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE)

This article is referred to by:

Clinicians Are the Missing Link to Sustainable Community-Based Physical Activity Participation for Children with Disabilities

Acknowledgments

There would be no study without the children and their families willing to participate during the 15-month period. We are deeply grateful to them for their contribution.

Declaration of Interest

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

About the Authors

Per Enok Baksjøberget, Sports Pedagogue, Master of Rehabilitation and Habilitation, with a focus on participation, enjoyment and rehabilitation for children with disability at Clinic for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vestfold Hospital Trust. Astrid Nyquist, MSc, PhD, is Director of Beitostølen Healthsports Center. Her interest and research expertise are related to participation in adapted physical activity through life for people with disabilities, including the concept of participation, how it can be measured and how it can be influenced. Thomas Moser is a professor in physical education and sport science as well as in educational science with a focus on early childhood education at the University College of Southeast Norway, Faculty of Humanities, Sports, and Educational Science. Reidun Jahnsen, PT, PhD, is Head of the Research Department at Beitostølen Healthsports Center and senior researcher at Oslo University Hospital, leading the National Cerebral Palsy Follow-up Program (CPOP). Her research interest and expertise is broad and related to living with a childhood onset disability in a life span perspective.