CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
BMC Pediatr. 2011 Jan 7;11:1. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-11-1.
Adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) show a reduced physical activity (PA). Currently there are no interventions for adolescents with CP in this critical life phase that optimise and maintain the individuals' physical activity in the long term. To develop such a program it is important to fully understand the factors that influence physical activity behaviours in adolescents with CP. The aim of this study is to explore what makes it easy or hard for adolescents with CP to be and to become physically active.
METHODS/DESIGN: A qualitative research method is chosen to allow adolescents to voice their own opinion. Because we will investigate the lived experiences this study has a phenomenological approach. Thirty ambulatory and non-ambulatory adolescents (aged 10-18 years) with CP, classified as level I to IV on the Gross Motor Function Classification System and 30 parents of adolescents with CP will be invited to participate in one of the 6 focus groups or an individual interview. Therapists from all Children's Treatment Centres in Ontario, Canada, will be asked to fill in a survey. Focus groups will be audio- and videotaped and will approximately take 1.5 hours. The focus groups will be conducted by a facilitator and an assistant. In preparation of the focus groups, participants will fill in a demographic form with additional questions on physical activity. The information gathered from these questions and recent research on barriers and facilitators to physical activity will be used as a starting point for the content of the focus groups. Recordings of the focus groups will be transcribed and a content analysis approach will be used to code the transcripts. A preliminary summary of the coded data will be shared with the participants before themes will be refined.
This study will help us gain insight and understanding of the participants' experiences and perspectives in PA, which can be of great importance when planning programs aimed at helping them to stay or to become physically active.
脑瘫青少年（CP）的身体活动（PA）减少。目前，在这个关键的生命阶段，没有针对 CP 青少年的干预措施可以优化和维持个体的长期身体活动。为了开发这样的计划，了解影响 CP 青少年身体活动行为的因素非常重要。本研究旨在探讨使 CP 青少年能够并成为身体活跃的因素。
方法/设计：选择定性研究方法是为了让青少年能够表达自己的意见。由于我们将调查生活经历，因此本研究采用现象学方法。将邀请 30 名可步行和不可步行的 CP 青少年（年龄在 10-18 岁之间）参加 6 个焦点小组或个别访谈中的一个，这些青少年根据粗大运动功能分类系统分为 I 级至 IV 级，30 名 CP 青少年的父母也将被邀请参加。安大略省所有儿童治疗中心的治疗师将被要求填写一份调查。焦点小组将进行录音和录像，大约需要 1.5 小时。焦点小组将由一名主持人和一名助理进行。在准备焦点小组时，参与者将填写一份人口统计表格，并填写有关身体活动的其他问题。这些问题收集的信息以及最近关于身体活动障碍和促进因素的研究将作为焦点小组内容的起点。焦点小组的录音将被转录，并使用内容分析方法对记录进行编码。在主题得到完善之前，将与参与者分享编码数据的初步摘要。
本研究将帮助我们深入了解参与者在 PA 方面的经验和观点，这对于计划帮助他们保持或变得活跃的项目非常重要。
