ABSTRACT

Children and adolescents with disabilities benefit from physical activity. However, this population has lower fitness levels and higher rates of obesity than their peers, suggesting that they are not meeting physical activity guidelines and are experiencing barriers to participation. The purpose of this study was to quantify physical activity participation and barriers experienced by children and adolescents with disabilities in our area. Forty-five parents or caregivers of children aged 2‒18 with physical and/or intellectual disabilities completed a questionnaire regarding physical activity participation in an average week and barriers to participation, prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Ninety-one percent (41/45) of the children and adolescents with disabilities did not participate in sufficient physical activity to meet physical activity guidelines irrespective of type and severity of the disability (p > 0.05). Physical activity participation decreased with increasing age (r = −0.478, p = 0.001). The most commonly identified barrier was ‘environments and programmes not able to handle nature of disability.’ In our sample, the majority of children and adolescents with disabilities did not meet physical activity guidelines, with access reported as a primary barrier. This may have negative consequences on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents with disabilities. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may have worsened the rates of physical activity participation noted in our study.

摘要

残疾儿童和青少年受益于体育锻炼。然而，与同龄人相比，这一人群的健康水平较低，肥胖率较高，这表明他们没有达到体育活动指导方针，并且在参与方面遇到了障碍。本研究的目的是量化我们地区残疾儿童和青少年的身体活动参与和障碍。在 SARS-CoV-2 大流行之前，45 名 2-18 岁身体和/或智力残疾儿童的父母或看护人完成了一份关于平均每周身体活动参与和参与障碍的问卷。使用定量和定性方法分析数据。无论残疾的类型和严重程度如何，91% (41/45) 的残疾儿童和青少年没有参加足够的体育活动来满足体育活动指南 (p > 0.05)。随着年龄的增长，身体活动参与度下降（r = -0.478，p = 0.001）。最常见的障碍是“无法处理残疾性质的环境和计划”。在我们的样本中，大多数残疾儿童和青少年不符合体育活动指南，据报道，访问是主要障碍。这可能对残疾儿童和青少年的身心健康产生负面影响。SARS-CoV-2 大流行可能恶化了我们研究中提到的身体活动参与率。