“Don’t sweat it buddy, it’s OK”: an exploration of the needs of adolescents with disabilities when designing a mobile application for weight management and healthy lifestyles

Abstract

Purpose: Adolescents with disabilities often demonstrate higher sedentary behaviours, lower physical activity levels, poorer quality diets, and higher rates of overweight and obesity than typically developing youth. This study had two objectives: 1) To understand the needs and priorities of adolescents with disabilities, parents, and the healthcare professionals who work with them around healthy lifestyles and weight management; and 2) To explore whether and how a mobile application could address these needs.

Methods: Multiple perspectives were gathered through separate qualitative focus groups with adolescents with disabilities (12–17 years), parents, and rehabilitation healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using descriptive thematic analysis.

Results: Parents (n = 6) and healthcare professionals (n = 9) described the complex needs of adolescents with disabilities around weight management and healthy lifestyles, including balancing differing priorities and a lack of appropriate resources. Adolescents (n = 7) endorsed the potential for technology to enhance their health through empowerment and having a virtual support system. All stakeholder groups endorsed taking a holistic, wellness approach.

Conclusions: Adolescents with disabilities have a complex lifestyle and weight management needs, but mobile applications have the potential to provide individualized support. It is critical that anyone developing mobile applications engage a range of stakeholders as co-designers.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Adolescents with disabilities have complex support needs and priorities around weight management and healthy lifestyles.

• Existing resources do not take into account the wide-ranging abilities of adolescents with disabilities.

• Mobile applications have the potential to empower adolescents and provide tailored support around healthy lifestyles.

• Including user input when designing technologies is critical.

Keywords:

• Adolescents
• technology
• health promotion
• mobile applications
• disability

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the study participants, and Sindoora Iyer who supported the focus groups. Members of the larger study team included Jordan Rivera, Jill Hamilton, Catherine Birken, Michael Coons, Tessy George and Cynthia Nguyen. We thank Shauna Kingsnorth for her helpful input on this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by the Eat, Play, Think Catalyst Grant Competition.