Participation of children with and without disabilities in home, school, and community in Hong Kong: A 2-year longitudinal study.
Pak-Ho Choi, Pui-Sze Ma, Wai-Ying Mak and 3 others
PMID 35847186WHAT IT FOUND
Over two years, children with and without disabilities in Hong Kong played fewer indoor games and used more technology at home.
School event attendance rose, but community physical activity showed a non-significant decline. How involved children felt in these activities stayed largely unchanged.
Key findings
01Children with and without disabilities increased their frequency of computer/video game use at home over two years, with the increase reaching statistical significance.
02Frequency of participation in school field trips and events increased significantly for children with disabilities, and school-sponsored teams increased significantly for children without disabilities.
03There were no statistically significant changes in the frequency or involvement of community activities for either group, though some non-significant trends suggested a decrease in physical activities.
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 sample size was small, particularly for children with disabilities (n=34), preventing subgroup analyses by age or disability type. Only one special school was included, limiting generalisability. The study relied on parent report, which may not accurately capture the child's subjective experience of involvement. The 2-year interval may have been too short to detect substantial changes in participation patterns. Findings are specific to Hong Kong and may not generalise to other cultures. The study did not measure the actual time (hours) spent on activities, only frequency and involvement. No statistical comparison was made between children with and without disabilities at each time point, only within-group changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the university ethics committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the non-significant trends in community physical activity as proven declines. The study found no statistically significant changes in community participation for either group, so these trends are suggestive but not conclusive evidence of a decrease.