Exploring how the process of quality participation unfolds for volunteers in community-based exercise programs for persons with disabilities

ABSTRACT

Within community-based exercise programs (CBEPs) for persons with disabilities, research suggests that the quality participation experiences of volunteers support the quality participation experiences of members. Yet, little is known about how quality participation unfolds over time for volunteers and how to foster positive experiences for these individuals. As such, we sought to explore how volunteers’ experiences of quality participation may fluctuate over time while they are participating in a CBEP for persons with disabilities using a longitudinal, integrated methods approach. Over a five-month period, a novel combination of (a) semi-structured interviews, (b) timelines, (c) relational maps and (d) audio diaries was used with university-aged volunteers at Revved Up, an adaptive CBEP in Kingston, Ontario. These datasets, subject to thematic analysis, illuminated meaningful understandings of how quality participation develops for volunteers by means of two overarching themes: a ‘process’ of how quality participation unfolds over time, and conditions supporting access to this ‘process’. The findings demonstrate the value of integrating of pluralistic qualitative methods and yield insights into the quality participation process to an extent that may not have been garnered through a single method or cross-sectional study. Critical reflections and insights concerning the use of integrated methods in sport, exercise and health fields are considered. Practically speaking, CBEP providers and researchers can utilise the findings to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of initiatives to support the quality participation of volunteers.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• exercise
• volunteers
• quality participation
• multiple methods

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant awarded to JRT and a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship awarded to KEM. The authors would like to acknowledge the participants for contributing their time and experiences to this research study.

Disclosure statement

We acknowledge that there are no financial interest or benefits that have arisen from the direct applications of our research. KEM was a former volunteer and internship student at Revved Up, and ALM and JRT are Co-Directors of Revved Up. TLW, NB, and CHD declare no conflicts of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, JT. The data are not publicly available because they contain information that could compromise the privacy and confidentiality of research participants.

Notes

1. Developmental disabilities denote any type of disability characterised by limitations or impairments in physical, learning, language, or behaviour areas (Boyle et al. 2011).

2. Physical disabilities denote any type of disability, acquired or congenital, characterised by limitations in mobility (Statistics Canada 2017).

3. Within the internship, one of the course evaluations is a reassessment of a member’s exercise program. During this evaluation, an internship student reviews a member’s current routine and develops revisions (i.e. changes weight, repetitions, or minutes of exercises).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [430-2017-00495].

Notes on contributors

Kristiann E. Man

Kristiann E. Man completed her Masters of Science in Health Promotion at the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University. Her research focuses on understanding quality participation experiences in the context of community-based exercise programs for persons with disabilities.

Toni L. Williams

Toni L. Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Leeds-Beckett University. Her research broadly explores disability, health and physical activity.

Nigel Barnim

Nigel Barnim is an undergraduate student completing a degree in the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University.

Celina H. Shirazipour

Celina H. Shirazipour is a Research Scientist at the Research Center for Health Equity at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her research aims to understand and promote long-term physical activity participation among underserved populations.

Amy E. Latimer-Cheung

Amy E. Latimer-Cheung is an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University. She also serves as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity Promotion and Disability.

Jennifer R. Tomasone

Jennifer R. Tomasone is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University. She has taught and published work concerning physical activity promotion for persons with disabilities and knowledge translation.