Barriers and facilitators of sports in children with physical disabilities: a mixed-method study

Abstract

Sports participation of children with physical disabilities is a complex phenomenon because children, their parents and professionals reported different barriers. Sports participation is more physically challenging for children with severe physical disabilities, as their daily activities already require much energy. However, the psychosocial benefits of sports are applicable to all children with physical disabilities. IMPLICATION FOR REHABILITATION: Perceived barriers seemed to differ for children, parents and health professionals, suggesting that sports participation is a complex phenomenon. Sports might be more physically challenging for children with severe physical disabilities, as their daily activities already take much energy. The psychosocial benefits of sports should be emphasized by rehabilitation professionals when advising children with physical disabilities about sports.

Physical Activity Participation of Disabled Children: A Systematic Review of Conceptual and Methodological Approaches in Health Research

“…Key study characteristics of the included articles are presented in Table 1. The majority of studies were published within the last 2 years ( n  = 11, 64% published 2014–2016), and most frequently published in Research in Developmental Disability (27, 33, 35, 36) or Disability and Rehabilitation (32, 34). Articles were primarily published in journals within psychology or medical related fields (e.g., BMC pediatrics, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Disability and Rehabilitation, Child: Care, Health and Development ).…”

“…The WHO-ICF (10), or the corresponding 2007 children’s version [ICF-CY; (42)], was the primary guiding framework used ( n  = 8, 47%) (13, 29, 30, 32–34, 36, 37). The Physical Activity for Persons with Disability (PAD) framework, a PA-specific rendition of the ICF, was utilized in two articles (29, 40).…”

“…The Physical Activity for Persons with Disability (PAD) framework, a PA-specific rendition of the ICF, was utilized in two articles (29, 40). Alternative frameworks included the Social–ecological model (39), Systems Theory (27), Theory of Planned Behavior (32), and Sports Participation Theory (41). An operational definition of PA participation was not explicitly provided within any of the included literature.…”

“…Instead, when an operational definition was provided, participation and PA were presented as independent constructs. Participation was defined by approximately one-third of the studies ( n  = 5, 29%) as the “ involvement in life situations , … such as physical activity ” (13, 33–36) – a direct quote from the WHO-ICF framework [(10), p. 10] – or stated that “ sports [physical activity] participation falls under the broader ICF term ‘participation’ ” (32). Two studies noted “ aspects of sports participation include frequency, duration, and social (or subjective) experiences ” (35, 36).…”

National Lottery—You Can Win As Well: A Metaphor Study on Disabled Athletes

“…The ability of sports to bring societies and individuals together has a significant impact on the socialization of individuals. This effect has also been noted in studies, especially the ones conducted on individuals with disabilities (Sherrill, 1998;Jaarsma et al, 2015;Kissow, 2015;Nemček, 2016;Winnick & Porretta, 2016;Lastuka & Cottingham, 2016;Lorenzo, 2019). Considering that 15% of the world's population is consisted of disabled individuals, the importance of sports is once again understood in the integration of these individuals into the society as well as in their physical, mental, and psychological developments.…”