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Identifying the top 10 priorities of adolescents with a physical disability regarding participation in physical activity: a Delphi study

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posted on 2025-01-30, 13:10 authored by Karen BradyKaren Brady, Ronan Cleary, Eva O'Gorman, Suzanne McDonoughSuzanne McDonough, Claire Kerr, Damien Kiernan, Elaine McConkey, Jennifer RyanJennifer Ryan, Ailish MaloneAilish Malone

Aim: To establish consensus among adolescents with a physical disability regarding their priorities for enhancing participation in physical activity and help inform the design of future interventions for participation in physical activity.

Method: We conducted a national multi-round Delphi study involving adolescents with a physical disability aged 13 to 17 years. Round 1 of the initial survey consisted of open-ended questions. Free-text responses were then analysed thematically, creating items categorized according to the family of participation-related constructs (fPRC). In round 2, participants rated the perceived importance of these items using a 5-point Likert scale. The top 10 priorities were constructed from the highest-ranked items.

Results: One hundred and sixteen participants (mean age = 14 years 7 months, range = 13-17 years; 66 males; 58 with cerebral palsy; 43 wheelchair users) completed round 1; 108 items were included in round 2. Fifty-eight items were rated as either 'important' or 'really important' by 70% of participants. The top 10 priorities were rated as important or really important by 82% to 94% of participants with a mean Likert score of 4.40 (range = 4.25-4.63). Seven of the top 10 priorities were related to the environmental context of the fPRC. The other three were related to involvement and the related concept of preference.

Interpretation: The priorities identified will help inform future physical activity interventions for adolescents with a physical disability.

Funding

Health Research Board and the Central Remedial Clinic (no. HRCI-JFS-2022-006) via the Health Research Charities Ireland/Health Research Board Joint Funding Scheme 2022

CP Foundation at the CP-Life Research Centre of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Open access funding provided by IReL

History

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Comments

The original article is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

Published Citation

Brady K, et al. Identifying the top 10 priorities of adolescents with a physical disability regarding participation in physical activity: a Delphi study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2024;66(12):1600-1610.

Publication Date

30 May 2024

PubMed ID

38815177

Department/Unit

  • School of Physiotherapy
  • Undergraduate Research

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Version

  • Published Version (Version of Record)