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Comparing participation in activities among children with disabilities
Louise C Mâsse1, Anton R Miller, Jane Shen
1Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. lmasse@cfri.ubc.ca
Insights
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) participated more in school physical activities than those with chronic medical conditions (CMC). Understanding CMC participation barriers is key for improving child health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Children with disabilities, including neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) and chronic medical conditions (CMC), exhibit reduced activity participation compared to peers.
- Previous research has not clearly defined the participation differences between these two specific groups of children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the levels of participation in various activities between children with NDD/D and children with CMC.
- To identify potential disparities in physical, educational, and social/recreational engagement.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) children dataset.
- Classification of disabilities into NDD/D and CMC using ICD-10 codes by pediatricians.
- Logistic regression analysis examining parent-reported participation in physical, educational, and social activities, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Children with NDD/D showed significantly higher participation in supervised and unsupervised physical activities at school compared to children with CMC (p<0.001).
- A similar, though not statistically significant, trend was observed for school outings.
- Conversely, children with NDD/D were less likely to participate in educational activities than children with CMC.
Conclusions:
- The study found unexpectedly lower participation in certain activities among children with CMC compared to those with NDD/D.
- These findings highlight potential implications for the mental and physical health of children with CMC.
- Further research into barriers to physical activity participation for children with CMC is recommended to enhance their overall health.
Introduction:
Compared to typically developing peers, children with disabilities due to neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) and to chronic medical conditions (CMC) have reduced participation in activities. The extent to which these two groups of children have different levels of participation is unknown and was examined in this study.
Methods:
The 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey children dataset collected by Statistics Canada was analyzed. Children with disabilities due to NDD/D and CMC were identified following review and classification of all ICD-10 codes in the dataset by two pediatricians. Dependent variables were parent-reported child participation in supervised and unsupervised physical activities within and outside of school, educational activities, and social/recreational activities. Logistic regression analyses, with relevant covariates (child and familial characteristics), were used to analyze the data.
Results:
Children with NDD/D were significantly more likely to take part in supervised and unsupervised physical activity at school than children with CMC (p<0.001). A similar trend was observed for participation in school outings, although the effect was not significant at p<0.01. Finally, a trend in the opposite direction was observed for educational activities, as children with NDD/D were less likely to take part in these activities than children with CMC.
Discussion:
Finding decreased participation among children with CMC compared with NDD/D was not predicted a priori but has potential implications for their mental and physical health.
Conclusions:
Gaining a better understanding of the barriers to participation in physical activity may contribute to improving the overall health status of children with CMC.
