The experiences of young people with limb difference in participating in sports and recreation in an Australian context: a qualitative study.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the experiences of young people with limb difference in participating in sports and recreation in an Australian context.

A qualitative study was undertaken with nine family dyads recruited from organisations and outpatient clinics across Australia via convenience sampling. Young people were aged between 9-16 years, with seven having unilateral limb differences (upper limb n=2; lower limb n=5), and two with bilateral limb differences (upper limb n=1; lower limb n=1).

All participating parents were mothers. Data were collected via 18 semi-structured interviews (duration between 20-59 minutes) and analysed using an interpretive description approach.

Three themes were interpreted from the data:

  • "Just treat me like everyone else": equitable participation in sports and recreation,
  • "Provide them opportunities and let them take the lead": genuine choice within sports and recreation activities
  • "I wish they were easier to get": the impact of sports-specific prostheses on young people's participation

Facilitators and barriers to participating in sports and recreation developed from the results were mapped into the socio-ecological model to illustrate the levels at which these influences operate and were possible interventions could be directed.

A conceptual model was then developed synthesising the themes, responses to member checking, the broader literature, and experiences of the project team. This model was entitled "Moving through childhood: The cycles of participation supports for young people with limb difference".

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Research Team

  • Dr Rachel Toovey, Physiotherapist and Researcher, Department of Physiotherapy
  • Free Coulston, Physiotherapist and Research Assistant, Department of Physiotherapy
  • Holly Shuttleworth, Physiotherapist and Research Assistant, Department of Physiotherapy
  • Michelle Jelleff, Founder and Director of the START Foundation
  • Jamie Villalon, Prosthetist/Orthotist and Consumer Research Assistant, Department of Physiotherapy
  • Adj Associate Professor Sarah Anderson, Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Prosthetics & Orthotics at La Trobe University
  • Professor Nora Shields, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University
  • Meleita Finnigan, Prosthetist/Orthotist, The Royal Children's Hospital
  • Simon Lalor, Prosthetist/Orthotist, The Royal Children's Hospital
  • Professor Jenny McGinley, Department of Physiotherapy

Partner organisation :

START Foundation