Physical activity engagement is associated with better clinical outcomes in community-dwelling ageing individuals and is therefore important for longevity. Nevertheless, while physical activity contributes to a healthy lifestyle, it can be challenging for people with disabilities. This makes the availability of appropriate evidence-based guidelines, recommendations and knowledge even more important for this population. However, (un)conscious stigmatization might exclude people with disabilities from certain opportunities such as appropriate knowledge and advice on training and exercise, and this population is under-represented in research on physical activity, sport and exercise. It is thus important to develop a solid body of knowledge underpinning sport and exercise for people with disabilities, to be able to offer inclusive sport and exercise environments. The research area of adapted physical activity has begun to address this important topic, and now receives increasing global attention. In this symposium, we have brought together three established researchers from different backgrounds. They will provide their view on the field of adapted physical activity and its research priorities through overviewing their research in this area. We aim to showcase the breadth, rigour, interdisciplinarity and importance of this field of research, and to discuss the future of adapted physical activity research: towards inclusive sport and exercise for all.
ECSS Paris 2023: IS-MH04
Positive effects from a healthy lifestyle are primarily derived from physical activity (PA), with secondary benefits encompassing psychosocial development and personal growth, along with a reduction of stress and unhealthy habits. While exercise statements have consistently recommended regular PA, the definition of health-promoting PA has shifted over time. Most PA guidelines recommend adults to engage in moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (150 – 300 min), however, many health-related research studies have presented more beneficial effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) in multiple patients’ groups, including, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart failure. Researchers play a crucial role in investigating the reliable potential of feasible and enjoyable high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT) interventions. This presentation aims to outline the evidence-based physiological, psychosocial health and quality of life benefits as a result from the HIIT interventions applied as part of health therapy programs. In addition, I will highlight the ecological model toward a healthier lifestyle as the rationale to demonstrate evidence-based examples of facilitating and limiting factors associated with technological innovations that may foster healthy lifestyle choices and well-being. I will elaborate on positive effects of HIIT on body mechanisms in people with cancer and using HIIT interventions to address cardio-metabolic factors and quality of life in persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We have found that HIIT provides participants cardio-metabolic adaptations benefiting health and quality of life. Wearable technologies provide a promising opportunity to effectively assess functional capacities of the individual in an ecological environment. A major challenge is to apply innovative personalized technologies that can help individuals maintain healthy lifestyles and wellness by keeping track of their everyday activities in long term.
Read CV Aija KlavinaECSS Paris 2023: IS-MH04
Participants with specific impairments often do not meet the inclusion criteria in sport science studies. With an estimated 15% of the world’s population living with disabilities, a sizable population where scientific knowledge is lacking. One of the challenges faced by researchers and practitioners is the awareness of how to identify people with disabilities in their own study. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of instruments used to measure various dimensions of adapted physical activity (APA), such as prevalence, functional and clinical tests. The individual’s disability status can be captured through standardised self-report or proxy measures. Consistency between researchers during observations and classification tests is essential for understanding the range of movement, strength, and function in adapted physical activity. Furthermore, the boundaries in the use of technology to assist with data collection have been reduced since the COVID-19 pandemic, but may still exist in areas with low resources. Norms in functional tests, measured physical activity and overall movement could be inappropriate when participants have functional difficulties, and solutions to overcome these limitations are required. Despite these advances in understanding and measuring such dimensions, a myriad of ways to collect data is present in the field of adapted physical activity. This talk will go into a detailed review of the ways data is collected for prevalence rates, with emphasis on the Washington Group questions. The strengths and limitations of such methods are outlined. From the use of national datasets, a demonstration of the substantial changes to prevalence rates appears due to different cut-offs. Subsequently, selecting cut-offs has an important role when pooling data sets. Further discussions on what it means for data provision on adapted physical activity are brought up.
Read CV Kwok NgECSS Paris 2023: IS-MH04
People living with physical disabilities or chronic conditions experience many barriers to engage in physical activity. In particular in the period directly after rehabilitation discharge, we see that people struggle to integrate physical activity in their daily living. It is therefore that we started the Rehabilitation, Sport and Active Lifestyle (ReSpAct) research programme in 2012. This research programme aimed to use a prospective multi-center cohort study design to evaluate the nationwide implementation of the Rehabilitation, Sport and Exercise program (RSE, Dutch: ‘Revalidatie, Sport en Bewegen’) across eighteen rehabilitation centers/hospitals in the Netherlands. RSE is an evidence-based physical activity counselling programme involving multiple counselling sessions based on motivational interviewing during and after rehabilitation to stimulate a physically active lifestyle in adults with physical disabilities and/or chronic diseases. Since the start of ReSpAct in 2012, 14 publications have appeared providing insights into how we can optimize health and active lifestyle advice and support after rehabilitation discharge. I will shortly overview the main outcomes and highlight subsequent research we have conducted on physical activity and exercise in three particularly interesting populations in the field of adapted physical activity and sport: 1) wheelchair users, 2) people suffering from an invisible disability such as fatigue or pain and 3) people with intellectual disabilities.
Read CV Florentina J HettingaECSS Paris 2023: IS-MH04