Off to the park: a geospatial investigation of adapted ride-on car usage.
Mia E Hoffman, Katherine M Steele, Jon E Froehlich and 2 others
PMID 37688446WHAT IT FOUND
Children with disabilities drove adapted ride-on cars for longer and further when outdoors.
Usage depended heavily on neighborhood accessibility, with children sticking to safe, walkable routes and avoiding inaccessible areas. Assessing local driving paths is essential for successful device provision.
Key findings
01Children drove for longer periods and further distances when using the ride-on car outside the home compared to inside.
02Higher neighborhood walkability scores were associated with increased play sessions, duration, and distance traveled outdoors.
03Children primarily drove on accessible paths and avoided areas with poor sidewalk conditions or steep grades.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 14 participants, limiting the ability to generalize findings or analyze the impact of specific factors like age or diagnosis. Project Sidewalk accessibility data was only available for three participants, restricting the analysis of specific environmental barriers. The study could not verify whether the child or the caregiver was steering the vehicle during play sessions. Walk Score does not account for sidewalk quality or dropped curbs, potentially overestimating accessibility. GPS data may have over-classified indoor play sessions near the home.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were explicitly declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that providing a ride-on car alone will lead to consistent use. The study shows that usage is heavily dependent on the accessibility of the child's immediate environment; without a safe, navigable path, children may rarely use the device.