Barriers and Facilitators to Initial and Ongoing Implementation of Community-Based Exercise Programs for Persons with Physical Disabilities: Qualitative Perspectives of Program Providers

Kristiann E. Man, Olivia Varkul, Lauren Konikoff, Natasha Bruno, Marlee Konikoff, Yetnayet Sisay Yehuala, Amy E. Latimer-Cheung and Jennifer R. Tomasone ()
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Kristiann E. Man: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Olivia Varkul: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Lauren Konikoff: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Natasha Bruno: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Marlee Konikoff: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Yetnayet Sisay Yehuala: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Amy E. Latimer-Cheung: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Jennifer R. Tomasone: School of Kinesiology & Health Studies, Queen’s University, 28 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada

Disabilities, 2025, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-25

Abstract: Community-based exercise programs (CBEPs) designed for persons with physical disabilities can promote participation in physical activity (PA). Despite their importance, few CBEPs for persons with physical disabilities exist in Canada. Understanding successful CBEP implementation may provide exercise providers with a framework to support the development, implementation, and long-term sustainability of CBEPs. The purpose of this study was to explore CBEP providers’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators surrounding the initial and ongoing implementation of CBEPs using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research 2.0 (CFIR 2.0). Fifteen eligible CBEPs were identified, of which nine program providers expressed interest in participating in semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were subject to inductive thematic analysis, and codes were deductively mapped onto domains of the CFIR 2.0. Barriers and facilitators were organized into six overarching themes and eighteen subthemes. Across themes, barriers and facilitators were present through initial and ongoing implementation and spanned all five domains of the CFIR 2.0, suggesting factors at all levels influence CBEP implementation. Ultimately, the barriers and facilitators to CBEP implementation may act as a roadmap to support the creation and sustainability of new and existing CBEPs, thereby increasing the number of programs that offer PA opportunities for persons with physical disabilities.

Keywords: adaptive; physical activity; community programming; participation; interviews (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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