Occupational therapists' understanding of supporting physical activity participation when working with children and adolescents: A national survey.

INTRODUCTION

Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor to disease and mortality. Despite the recognised benefits of physical activity, over half of the Australian population are not sufficiently active. For individuals with a disability, inactivity rates are further increased placing them at a higher risk of the negative effects of physical inactivity. Developing healthy lifestyle habits such as physical activity participation in early childhood has been found to be supportive of health behaviours being maintained into adulthood. Physical activity is an occupation said to involve the complex interaction between psychological, social, environmental, and physical factors placing it within the scope of occupation therapy. However, limited research is available exploring what this role looks like in practice.

METHOD: An online, anonymous survey was developed to better understand how Australian occupational therapists understood physical activity participation, as well as their current and potential role in facilitating regular physical activity participation with their clients. All registered Australian occupational therapists were eligible to participate in this survey, which consisted of both closed and open answered questions.

RESULTS

A total of 43 occupational therapists registered to practice within Australia completed the survey. All participants viewed physical activity as an important occupation for maintaining the health and well-being of their clients. Participants described the holistic role occupational therapists could play supporting physical activity participation outside of motor skill development. Therapists identified several ways in which a family-centred, occupation-based approach could be used to support sustained engagement in physical activity.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study contribute to our understanding of the role occupational therapy can play supporting physical activity participation for children and adolescents. This sparsely researched area requires more evaluation to ensure intervention is delivered in a way that is most effective.