Quality of Physical Activity Participation Among Adults with Disabilities Through Pandemic Restriction.
Gordon Tao, Gurkaran Singh, Ethan Simpson and 7 others
PMID 37186790WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with disabilities described losing independence and motivation during pandemic restrictions.
They adapted by using home exercises and online classes, but relied heavily on social support. No baseline factor predicted later quality of activity, so clinicians cannot assume one variable drives participation.
Key findings
01Participants described losing autonomy and motivation due to facility closures, weather, and anxiety, but maintained engagement by adapting activities to the home environment using technology or household chores.
02Access to structured programs with experts and peers was valued for engagement and belongingness; their interruption caused distress, while resumption improved motivation.
03Baseline factors including resilience, mental health, social support, technology readiness, and mobility did not significantly predict the overall quality of physical activity participation later in the pandemic.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (61 survey respondents, 10 interviews) and consisted of people who were already resourced enough to have internet access and time for research, potentially excluding those with more severe adversity or lower socioeconomic status. The study took place in British Columbia, where lockdown measures were less severe than in other regions, limiting generalizability to stricter pandemic contexts. The measure used to assess quality of participation (MeEAP) is relatively new and may not fully capture the complexity of the experience, as suggested by the lack of alignment between qualitative and quantitative findings. Participants with moderate to severe cognitive impairment or aphasia were excluded, so the findings do not apply to this population.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the weak correlations between mental health or resilience and specific participation dimensions as evidence that these factors drive overall quality of activity. The primary regression analysis showed no significant predictive relationship, meaning baseline resilience or anxiety levels did not explain the variance in overall participation quality.