It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy
Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effec...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | JSAMS Plus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772696725000018 |
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| author | Georgina Clutterbuck Mikaila Gent Daniel Thomson |
| author_facet | Georgina Clutterbuck Mikaila Gent Daniel Thomson |
| author_sort | Georgina Clutterbuck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated. Aims: To explore parents’ perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation.Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up. Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation. Trial registration: ACTRN12617000313336. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb5c9e1f2c7e4edeb4437ce3428f3c17 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2772-6967 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JSAMS Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb5c9e1f2c7e4edeb4437ce3428f3c172025-01-21T04:13:24ZengElsevierJSAMS Plus2772-69672025-06-015100087It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsyGeorgina Clutterbuck0Mikaila Gent1Daniel Thomson2School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia; Children's Motor Control Research Collaboration, Australia; School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia; Corresponding author. School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.Children's Motor Control Research Collaboration, Australia; School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, AustraliaSchool of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, AustraliaBackground: Participation in sport improves health and wellbeing, however children with disabilities participate in less physical activity than their peers. Interventions provided by health professionals in real-world sports contexts (i.e., in groups at sports facilities) have been shown to be effective in the short-term, however, long-term effects have not been investigated. Aims: To explore parents’ perceptions of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention (Sports Stars) for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Methods: Parents of children who attended Sports Stars two to three years earlier participated in interviews exploring intervention experience and ongoing sports participation. Children's pre-intervention sports activity and participation goals were reassessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Results: Fourteen parents participated. All reported that Sports Stars was an effective intervention, with children's increased confidence reported as the most beneficial outcome. Since attending Sports Stars, children participated in a variety of sports, the most common being swimming and soccer. Most parents reported environmental factors as a barrier to ongoing sports participation.Statistically significant improvements in children's relevant sports-focussed activity and participation goals were demonstrated compared to pre-Sports Stars (COPM activity performance mean improvement (MI) = 3.94, p = 0.004, participation performance MI = 4.88, p < 0.001). When compared to post-Sports Stars, children maintained, or further improved, ratings of performance and satisfaction at 2–3 years follow-up. Conclusions: Parents of ambulant children who participated in a short term, practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention perceived that Sports Stars was the catalyst for subsequent changes to their children's long-term sports participation. Trial registration: ACTRN12617000313336.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772696725000018ChildrenCerebral palsySportParticipationFollow upDisability |
| spellingShingle | Georgina Clutterbuck Mikaila Gent Daniel Thomson It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy JSAMS Plus Children Cerebral palsy Sport Participation Follow up Disability |
| title | It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy |
| title_full | It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy |
| title_fullStr | It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy |
| title_full_unstemmed | It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy |
| title_short | It takes a ‘spark’. Exploring parent perception of long-term sports participation after a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy |
| title_sort | it takes a spark exploring parent perception of long term sports participation after a practitioner led peer group sports intervention for ambulant school aged children with cerebral palsy |
| topic | Children Cerebral palsy Sport Participation Follow up Disability |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772696725000018 |
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