None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This research is investigating how to support children with disabilities to transition from receiving individual, health-focussed interventions and into participating in community sport. Sports Stars is a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention designed to facilitate transition to community sport for children with disabilities. It has been shown to be effective in improving sports skills and sports participation in ambulant children with cerebral palsy in Queensland, Australia. Sports Stars has received a high degree of support from parents and treating practitioners. There is significant potential for Sports Stars to be made widely available to children with a variety of disabilities across Australia and internationally through their local health practitioners. This study will investigate how well Sports Stars works for groups of children with a variety of disabilities in low socio-economic, culturally and linguistically diverse, and rural/remote communities.
Interventions
Children allocated to the immediate intervention group will receive the Sports Stars intervention from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Sports Stars is an eight-week peer-group intervention (1 hour per week) with 4-8 participants. It combines sports-specific gross motor activity training, sports education, teamwork development and confidence building with an introduction to four sports (e.g. soccer, netball, football, dance). Activities will be sport specific- e.g. for soccer will in
Children allocated to the immediate intervention group will receive the Sports Stars intervention from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Sports Stars is an eight-week peer-group intervention (1 hour per week) with 4-8 participants. It combines sports-specific gross motor activity training, sports education, teamwork development and confidence building with an introduction to four sports (e.g. soccer, netball, football, dance). Activities will be sport specific- e.g. for soccer will include dribbing and goal kicking drills. Intensity will vary from low-vigorous throughout the one hour session (RPE). Typically the first 10 minutes and last 5 minutes would be low intensity, the next 30 minutes would be moderate intensity an the final 10 minutes would be high intensity. Children will vary in the intensity of their participation and this will be self-moderated based on each child's participation. The variety of sports activities aims to provide opportunities for children to develop a wider range of (i) physical sports skills, (ii) knowledge and understanding of different sports, (iii) confidence in trying new sports and (iv) sports preferences. These sports are chosen based on what is available in the child’s local community. Fidelity of the intervention will be monitored through completion of session summary sheets for each child at each intervention session, as well as during weekly coaching calls to the practitioners by the lead investigator.
Sponsors
Western Sydney University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
6 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
To be eligible for this research, children must: • Be aged 6-12 years at commencement of the Sports Stars intervention • Be diagnosed with a disability that includes a physical impairment • Want to increase their participation in sport • Be able to walk independently without aids (equivalent to GMFCS I-II) • Be able to follow instructions and participate in a small group setting • Be able to attend 8x1hour weekly Sports Stars sessions and two assessment sessions up to one hour (pre and post intervention) in their local community. *Children’s primary parent/guardian must also be able to attend remote interviews via zoom or phone. A primary parent/guardian is considered to be the person who is most (or equally) aware of the child’s sports skills and current participation in sport.
Exclusion criteria
• Unable to participate safely in physical activity. E.g. due to uncontrolled epilepsy or a cardiac condition.
Outcome results
None listed