Biomaterial Database

Community fitness programs: what is available for children and youth with motor disabilities and what do parents want? 2015

Lesley Wiart, and Johanna Darrah, and Michelle Kelly, and David Legg

1Department of Clinical Support, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital , Edmonton, Alberta , Canada.

BACKGROUND Physical activity is recognized as a rehabilitation approach for individuals with motor disabilities. OBJECTIVE To determine whether community fitness programs were accommodating children and youth with motor disabilities, and to understand family perspectives on important outcomes related to fitness programs. METHODS Telephone survey and qualitative interviews. METHODS Representatives of 61 fitness programs/facilities and 13 parents of children with motor disabilities. METHODS Telephone survey (facilities) and qualitative interviews (parents). RESULTS 24.6% of programs reported lack of wheelchair accessibility. Only 9.8% of programs and facilities required their staff to have training to support individuals with disabilities. Parents discussed barriers, including lack of staff support and challenges with finding information about community programs. Parents focused on the social benefits of fitness programs. CONCLUSIONS Additional efforts toward reducing access barriers are needed. Parents' focus on social outcomes has direct implications on the design and evaluation of fitness programs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007407	Interviews as Topic	Works about conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes works about school admission or job interviews.	Group Interviews,Interviewers,Interviews, Telephone,Oral History as Topic,Group Interview,Interview, Group,Interview, Telephone,Interviewer,Interviews, Group,Telephone Interview,Telephone Interviews
D008297	Male		Males
D010809	Physical Fitness	The ability to carry out daily tasks and perform physical activities in a highly functional state, often as a result of physical conditioning.	Fitness, Physical
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003153	Community Health Services	Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.	Community Health Care,Community Healthcare,Health Services, Community,Services, Community Health,Community Health Service,Health Care, Community,Health Service, Community,Healthcare, Community,Service, Community Health
D005081	Exercise Therapy	A regimen or plan of physical activities designed and prescribed for specific therapeutic goals. Its purpose is to restore normal musculoskeletal function or to reduce pain caused by diseases or injuries.	Rehabilitation Exercise,Remedial Exercise,Therapy, Exercise,Exercise Therapies,Exercise, Rehabilitation,Exercise, Remedial,Exercises, Rehabilitation,Exercises, Remedial,Rehabilitation Exercises,Remedial Exercises,Therapies, Exercise
D005260	Female		Females
D006297	Health Services Accessibility	The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.	Access To Care, Health,Access to Care,Access to Contraception,Access to Health Care,Access to Health Services,Access to Medications,Access to Medicines,Access to Therapy,Access to Treatment,Accessibility of Health Services,Availability of Health Services,Contraception Access,Contraceptive Access,Medication Access,Accessibility, Health Services,Contraceptive Availability,Health Services Geographic Accessibility,Program Accessibility,Access to Cares,Access to Contraceptions,Access to Medication,Access to Medicine,Access to Therapies,Access to Treatments,Access, Contraception,Access, Contraceptive,Access, Medication,Accessibilities, Health Services,Accessibility, Program,Availability, Contraceptive,Care, Access to,Cares, Access to,Contraception, Access to,Contraceptive Accesses,Health Services Availability,Medication Accesses,Medication, Access to,Medicine, Access to,Medicines, Access to,Therapy, Access to,Treatment, Access to
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000416	Alberta	A province of western Canada, lying between the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Its capital is Edmonton. It was named in honor of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p26 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p12)