Targeted physical activity messages for parents of children with disabilities: A qualitative investigation of parents' informational needs and preferences.
Parents of children with disabilities want physical-activity info that looks like their kids and comes from other parents.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bassett-Gunter et al. (2017) talked with parents of children with mixed disabilities.
They asked what kind of physical-activity information parents want and who they trust.
Parents shared the words, pictures, and messengers that feel helpful and safe.
What they found
Parents want tips that show kids like theirs in the photos.
They like step-by-step self-help tricks, not vague “be active” slogans.
Other parents and well-known groups are the voices they believe.
How this fits with other research
Stephens et al. (2018) later mapped the same parent group during school-to-adult transition.
That scoping review includes the 2017 findings, so the two pieces fit like puzzle parts.
Ruble et al. (2019) show parent activation boosts IEP goal success, backing the need for clear, trusted messages.
Why it matters
If you coach families, swap stock photos for pictures that show real disabilities.
Add short checklists parents can try tonight.
Hand the sheet to a respected parent in the group first; peer trust does the selling for you.
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Replace one flyer photo with an inclusive image and add a parent-quote box.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Physical activity (PA) has myriad benefits for children with disabilities (CWD). Information and messaging campaigns can promote PA among CWD. The overall purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the development of PA information and messages targeting parents of CWD. The specific objectives were to identify parents' preferences regarding PA information and messaging content and preferred methods and sources of communication. METHOD: Focus groups were conducted with parents of CWD (N=28). Qualitative data were collected and transcribed. Inductive content analyses were employed to identify key themes. RESULTS: Three key thematic areas were identified: 1) Preferred content (e.g., targeted information, self-regulatory strategies, inclusive images), 2) Challenges (e.g., lack of information and language clarity), 3) Preferred sources (e.g., other parents, reliable organizations, central information hub). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Parents' needs and preferences regarding PA information could be incorporated into campaigns to enhance parent PA support and PA among CWD. Stakeholders (e.g., PA organizations, programs and practitioners) can employ these strategies in campaigns and resources targeting parents of CWD. Research is necessary to empirically develop and evaluate PA information and messaging campaigns targeting parents of CWD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.02.016