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Published on: March 7, 2019
Stakeholder Perceptions of an Abbreviated Survey to Assess the Accessibility of Community-Based Physical Activity for
Christen J Mendonca1, Sangeetha Mohanraj1, Devdutt Upadhye2
1RERC RecTech, UAB School of Health Professions Research Collaborative, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Objective:
An abbreviated Community Accessibility Snapshot (CAS) was developed to provide a rapid, user‑friendly method for assessing the accessibility of community physical activity environments for individuals with limited mobility. This study aimed to explore stakeholder perceptions of the CAS and its accompanying rating tiers to inform refinement of the instrument.
Design:
We used a focus group design with thematic analysis.
Setting:
Focus group interviews were conducted through remote meetings.
Participants:
Sixteen adults (N=16) representing 2 stakeholder groups: adults with mobility limitations (n=14) and professionals working in fitness or recreational sport facilities (n=2). Participants were adults spanning a wide age range (mean±SD: 52±15y). Convenience sampling and recruitment through national disability‑focused platforms may limit generalizability, and the small number of professionals constrains provider‑specific insights.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Stakeholder feedback on survey clarity, feasibility, and interpretability, collected through focus group transcripts coded independently by 2 researchers.
Results:
Four focus groups yielded themes related to (1) factors shaping accessibility experiences, (2) strengths of the CAS, and (3) recommended revisions. Participants highlighted the need for clear distinctions among rating tiers, reduced respondent burden, and inclusion of visual aids. Intercoder agreement was 97%. Stakeholder input guided revisions to survey wording, domain structure, and rating tier definitions. Although thematic saturation was reached among adults with mobility limitations, the small professional sample represents a limitation. Future research should examine age‑related differences in CAS usability and conduct a psychometric evaluation of the revised instrument.
Conclusions:
The CAS shows promise as a brief, end‑user-focused tool to communicate accessibility of community-based physical activity settings for adults with mobility limitations. Incorporating stakeholder feedback strengthens the tool's clarity and usability. Further work is needed to assess reliability, validity, and applicability across diverse age groups and facility types.
