Sport participation after the HandbikeBattle: benefits, barriers, facilitators from the event: a follow-up survey

Sonja de Groot*, Ingrid Kouwijzer, Linda Valent, Mechteld Hagoort, Abel ten Hoorn, Lucas van der Woude, Marcel Post

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Objectives: To investigate sports participation among individuals in the HandbikeBattle project 1.5–5.5 years after the event, the barriers and facilitators to sport participation and benefits of participating in the event. Setting: Former participants of the HandbikeBattle, a handcycling race on an Austrian mountain. Methods: Handcyclists who took part in one or more HandbikeBattle events in 2013–2017 were invited to complete a survey in December 2018. Questions were asked on benefits of participating in this event, current sport participation, and experienced barriers and facilitators regarding current sport participation. Results: Respondents (N = 96 (N = 59 with spinal cord injury (SCI) or Spina Bifida (SB)), response rate = 47%) reported benefits from this event regarding their fitness level (90%), personal development (81%), daily life activities (66%), and health (64%). Median current sport participation was 5 h/week (IQR: 3–8). Most frequently indicated personal barriers for sports participation were: lack of time (31%), disability (17%), and pain (15%). Most frequently mentioned environmental barriers were: transportation time to sport accommodation (19%), and lack of peers to do sports with (16%). Most important facilitators were motivation to improve health and/or fitness (92%), fun and/or relaxation (85%). The results for the subgroup with SCI were comparable with the results of the total group. Conclusions: Results highlight the role sports challenges can have in establishing a sustainable active life lifestyle among people with disabilities.

Original languageEnglish
Article number54
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalSpinal cord series and cases
Volume2020
Issue number6
Early online date29 Jun 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020

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