Physical Disability
Conditions
Keywords
physical activity, physical disability
Brief summary
FitSkills is an evidence based community based gym programme developed in Australia. It was developed in response to the barriers people with disability experience to accessing community-based physical activity. Within FitSkills, people with disability are paired with university students who act as a peer mentor. Pairs exercise together at a community gym location twice a week for 12 weeks. FitSkills has been shown to improve physical and social health among people with disabilities. FitSkills has not been delivered outside of Australia. The investigators are assessing how practical it is to deliver FitSkills in Ireland with the support of healthcare and physical activity professionals. The investigators want to understand the demand for this programme among young people with childhood-onset physical disability aged 13-24 years. In addition, the investigators want to learn if taking part in FitSkills influences exercise confidence and mental health and well-being among young people with childhood-onset physical disability.
Interventions
OTHERGym based exercise
12 week community gym exercise programme. Twice weekly gym sessions for 60 minutes. Peer support provided by a third level healthcare student from host university. Standardised exercise programme developed by gym staff with support from the investigators. Goals and preferences of participants considered in programme development. This is the only intervention and there is no additional intervention provided
Sponsors
Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 24 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Have a primary physical disability diagnosis, either congenital or acquired by age 15 * Are aged between 13-24 years * Have not taken part in a regular gym programme in the previous 3 months (i.e. at least once a week for 3 months) * Can follow instructions in English * Are fit and well enough to participate in exercise
Exclusion criteria
* Have an acute or concurrent medical condition rendering them unfit to participate in moderate-level physical activity * If they had an impaired ability to take part safely in a gym environment due to significant behavioural challenges.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Participant recruitment (Reach) | Up to 6 months from study opening for recruitment | Participant recruitment (reach) will be assessed by the number of individuals who express interest in the study and the proportion who are eligible and enrolled. Additional descriptive data will be collected on recruitment, including the number of enquiries and completed expressions of interest, how participants heard about the study (e.g., healthcare professional referral, flyer, or other sources), eligibility outcomes (number eligible, number excluded, and reasons for exclusion), and basic demographic characteristics (age, gender, disability type, and location) of individuals expressing interest. |
| Adoption by healthcare and physical activity professionals | Up to 7 months from first participant initiation of the intervention | Adoption will be assessed by the number and proportion of healthcare and physical activity professionals who are invited and agree to support implementation of the intervention. Additional descriptive data will be collected on professional characteristics (e.g., profession, service type, public or private service, and service location) and reasons for non-participation (e.g., work capacity constraints or lack of interest). |
| Intervention Feasibility | Up to 7 months from first participant initiation of the intervention | Intervention feasibility will be assessed by the proportion of participant pairs who complete the programme at 12 weeks. Additional descriptive data will be collected, including the number of pairs successfully matched (young people and student mentors), the number attending the group orientation session, and participant engagement (e.g., use of the challenge board). Fidelity to programme content and adverse events will be monitored and recorded using exercise log-books. |
| Feasibility of the Intervention (Feasibility Intervention Measure) | At completion of professional involvement in intervention implementation (up to 7 months from first participant initiation) | Feasibility will be assessed using the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM), completed by healthcare and physical activity professionals following completion of their involvement in implementation. The FIM is a 4-item scale assessing perceived feasibility (e.g., whether the programme is possible, practical, and easy to implement), with responses rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from completely disagree to completely agree. |
| Feasibility of collaboration between professionals | Up to 7 months from first participant initiation of the intervention | Feasibility of collaboration between healthcare and physical activity professionals will be assessed using a communication logbook completed by professionals involved in implementation. The logbook will capture the number of contacts between professionals and characteristics of communication, including reason for contact, type of communication, and outcome of communication. |
| Acceptability of the intervention among professionals | At completion of the intervention (up to 7 months from first participant initiation) | Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed through online focus groups conducted with healthcare and physical activity professionals following implementation. Focus groups will explore participants' perceptions of the acceptability of the programme, including its perceived appropriateness, burden, and satisfaction with implementation. |
| Acceptability of the intervention ( Acceptability of Intervention Measure) | At completion of professional involvement in intervention implementation (up to 7 months from first participant initiation) | Acceptability will be assessed using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), completed by healthcare and physical activity professionals. The AIM is a 4-item scale assessing perceived acceptability (e.g., whether the programme is appealing, meets approval, and is welcomed), with responses rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from completely disagree to completely agree. |
| Appropriateness of the intervention ( Intervention Appropriateness Measure) | At completion of professional involvement in intervention implementation (up to 7 months from first participant initiation) | Appropriateness will be assessed using the Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), completed by healthcare and physical activity professionals. The IAM is a scale assessing perceived appropriateness (i.e., the extent to which the programme is suitable and relevant), with responses rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from completely disagree to completely agree. |
| Acceptability of the intervention among young people | At completion of the intervention (up to 7 months from first participant initiation) | Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed through online semi-structured interviews conducted with young people with disability who participated in the programme. Interviews will explore participants' perceptions of acceptability, including satisfaction with the programme, perceived benefits, and burden of participation. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise self efficacy ( Exercise Self Efficacy Scale) | Baseline (prior to intervention initiation) and at 12 weeks (end of intervention) | Exercise self-efficacy will be assessed using the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, completed by young people with childhood-onset physical disability. The scale consists of 10 items assessing confidence in engaging in physical activity, with responses rated on a 4-point Likert scale (not at all true, rarely true, sometimes true, always true). Total scores range from 10 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater exercise self-efficacy. |
| Mental health and well-being (Mental Health Continuum-Short Form) | Baseline (prior to intervention initiation) and at 12 weeks (end of intervention) | Mental health and well-being will be assessed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), completed by young people with childhood-onset physical disability. The MHC-SF assesses emotional, social, and psychological well-being using a 6-point Likert scale (1 = everyday to 6 = never). Scores can be interpreted using continuous total and domain scores, with higher scores indicating greater well-being. Participants may also be classified as flourishing, moderately mentally healthy, or languishing based on established scoring criteria. |
Contacts
CONTACTJennifer Ryan, PhD
CONTACTAilish Malone, PhD
Outcome results
None listed