Children with Physical Disabilities at School and Home: Physical Activity and Contextual Characteristics

Ru Li, Cindy Hui-Ping Sit, Jane Jie Yu, Raymond Kim-Wai Sum, Stephen Heung-Sang Wong, Kenneth Chik-Chi Cheng and Thomas L. McKenzie
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Ru Li: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Cindy Hui-Ping Sit: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Jane Jie Yu: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Raymond Kim-Wai Sum: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Stephen Heung-Sang Wong: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Kenneth Chik-Chi Cheng: Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Thomas L. McKenzie: School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-10

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the physical activity (PA) of children with physical disabilities (PD) in school and home settings and to simultaneously examine selected contextual characteristics in relation to PA in those settings. Children with PD (N = 35; Mean age = 15.67 ± 4.30 years; 26 boys) were systematically observed using BEACHES (Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children’s Health: Evaluation System) at school (before school, recess, lunch break, after class) and at home (before dinner) during four normal school days. The children spent most of their time in all five settings being physically inactive, but had slightly more PA during recess and lunch break periods. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that selected contextual characteristics explained 18.9–56.0% ( p < 0.01) of the variance predicting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after controlling for demographic variables. Prompts to be active were positively associated with MVPA at school and the presence of fathers and fathers being motivators at home. This study highlights how little PA that children with PD receive and identifies the importance of the provision of prompts for PA at both school and home with this special population.

Keywords: children; physical disability; physical activity; environmental correlates; observation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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