Search Results (9)

Sports participation among young people with disabilities offers significant physical, psychological, and social benefits, yet participation rates remain lower than among their non-disabled peers. This study, conducted in Hungary, explores how value orientations, health perceptions, and disability characteristics interact to shape sports engagement. Using a cluster analysis approach, we identified three distinct groups based on how young individuals with disabilities prioritize various life aspects. Data were collected through a survey of 771 participants aged 8–18, including individuals with diverse disability types. K-means clustering revealed three profiles: (1) a low sports activity group with moderate health consciousness, (2) a health-conscious group with broad life engagement but lower sports participation, and (3) a sports-oriented group that demonstrated strong interest in sports despite reporting lower self-rated health. The findings suggest that personal value orientation is a stronger predictor of sports participation than disability type or perceived health status. Furthermore, access to sports facilities alone does not guarantee participation, emphasizing the need for motivational and psychological interventions. These results highlight the importance of tailored, value-driven strategies in promoting physical activity among young people with disabilities, shifting focus from disability-specific adaptations to broader engagement-based approaches. Full article

Objectives: This study examined how the benefits of exercise vary across different dimensions, such as physical health, psychological well-being, and social interaction, for individuals with disabilities, focusing on their use of sports facilities. Methods: Based on the 2019 National Survey on Sports Participation among People with Disabilities in South Korea, 3726 participants were analyzed using stratified chi-square tests, one-way analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression methods, adjusting for covariates as appropriate. Results: This study’s results indicate that sports facility users showed higher positive perceptions of exercise benefits compared to non-users. Notable differences in the perceived effectiveness of exercise benefits were observed in physical health and fitness (odds ratio (OR), 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07–1.62), stress relief and psychological stability (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.11–1.71), daily vitality and motivation (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.31–2.00), and a general sense of happiness from exercise participation (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.12–1.57), whereas the perception of medical cost savings did not vary (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.93–1.27). Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of accessible sports facilities and the promotion of their active use to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Political and practical initiatives are essential for improving both physical and mental well-being among individuals with disabilities. Full article

The Republic of Korea has established an institutional framework to expedite the provision of rehabilitation sports public services to individuals with disabilities post-hospital discharge (Act on Guarantee of Right to Health and Access to Health Services for People with Disabilities in December 2017). Regrettably, this service remains non-operational to date. This study employs a service design approach to identify and develop essential elements for the effective implementation of public rehabilitation sports services in Korea. Adopting the service design method, including the empathize–define–ideate–prototype phases, co-creation activities were conducted with three teams comprising people with disabilities, caregivers, rehabilitation physicians, specialized sports instructors, facility managers, and government officials, emphasizing equitable distribution. By leveraging the experiences of people with disabilities, these teams collaboratively engaged in creative activities to formulate strategies for delivering prompt and user-friendly rehabilitation sports public services post-hospital discharge. Contributions from each team were meticulously collected and organized, incorporating diverse perspectives into the development of the Korean Rehabilitation Sports Public Service Information System (KRSPSIS). Additionally, we presented a scenario illustrating the practical application of the KRSPSIS. Through this system, we anticipate providing more efficient and convenient rehabilitation sports public services to individuals with disabilities during the critical early stages following hospital discharge. Full article

Exercise products based on universal design, which reduce restrictions on the exercise environment and ensure convenience and safe use, are beneficial for people with a disability; however, the current universal design only considers the preferences of the general population, which is not suitable for the disabled population. This results in the exclusivity of the sports facilities and supplies for people with a disability. Consequently, we explored the components of universal design and product satisfaction by considering users with disabilities and proposed the direction for designing extended universal exercise equipment that is suitable for them. Specifically, this study focuses on developing exercise equipment for people with a disability. Based on the results from the evaluation of acceptance and satisfaction of universal sports products for people with a disability using design thinking, we suggest the following. First, it is necessary to consider safety devices for exercise products. Second, the user interface should be improved in terms of convenience. Third, the ergonomic instrument design should be improved. Finally, the instrument design should be centered on user convenience. Full article

We developed evaluation indicators for sports facilities for people with disabilities and adopted the universal design to conduct Delphi surveys on sports facilities and sports experts. First, the range of universal design element reflection and the method of deriving the evaluation indicators were established through a literature review. Second, 21 experts conducted the first Delphi survey to select the important features of the seven principles of universal design and describe the necessary sub-factors to consider when designing sports facilities. The described elements were divided into 15 categories, and 49 sub-factors were extracted. Third, based on the evaluation of the indicators’ content, acceptance was investigated, and the survey data were analyzed through indicators of reliability and validity of the sub-factors and categories. Fourth, we discussed whether to accept the standard value on the basis of the evaluation index through an expert meeting. Subsequently, the final evaluation index was obtained. The developed evaluation index should be applied by the operators and users of public sports facilities, and validation work is needed. Guidelines for applying the universal design to various sports facilities for people with disabilities should be developed. The financing of sports facilities applying the universal design and related policies should be discussed. Full article

Access to club sports is still not a given for children with ID. Parents and children report numerous structural and social barriers to accessing mainstream sports. Sports clubs, on the other hand, want to include this group of people, but often do not know how to do it. Using a community-based approach, children with intellectual disabilities (8–15 years) and their parents were given the opportunity to participate in an 8-week sports program in four mainstream clubs organized by a self-help organization for people with intellectual disabilities. Focus groups were conducted with all participants (parents, children, and club representatives) before and after the program and evaluated by means of a thematic analysis. The children rated participation very positively and only very occasionally reported that they had been excluded. The parents confirmed this experience, but were nevertheless more critical in their assessment. Outside the research context of this study, the sports clubs hardly provided good support, which can also be deduced from previous negative experiences of the parents. The sports clubs themselves received valuable information about what their failings were: sufficiently available and qualified staff, better access to sports facilities, and a wider range of inclusive groups are needed. On the other hand, there was hardly any prejudice on the part of the non-disabled club members towards the new members with ID, which was evaluated extremely positively, albeit surprisingly, by the sports clubs. Full article

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relative importance and priority of what factors should be reflected in the administration to efficiently consider the needs of people with disabilities for the physical activity (PA) environment in South Korea. To achieve the purpose of the study, 32 experts (e.g., faculty members, administrators) with more than 5 years of experience with PA for people with disabilities were asked to prioritize the factors that should be reflected in the PA environment. The questionnaire consisted of 4 factors in the upper-layer (H2), 8 factors in the middle-layer (H3), and 38 items in the low-layer (H4). The research instrument was composed of a pairwise comparison of decision elements to analyze the priority. For the analysis of the questionnaire data, the relative importance and priority were analyzed using Expert Choice 2000, a solution dedicated to priority analysis. The results are as follows. The relative importance of H2 was determined by programs, instructors, facilities, and information. In the relative importance among H3, the program type was determined as the highest factor in the program, and instructor expertise was determined as the highest factor in the instructor. The type of facility was determined as the highest factor in the facility, and the information provider was determined as the highest factor in the information. As a result of analyzing the priority of H4, it was found that the program within the sports facilities had the highest priority. Full article

This study’s objective was to understand the physical activities and sports-related needs of people with disabilities in South Korea and how those needs should be reflected in policy and practice to improve these people’s quality of life. Accordingly, focus group interviews were conducted with 35 people with disabilities who had participated in physical activities. Interviews were conducted one-on-one or in small groups of three or four. The interview questions related to their participation experiences in physical activities and sports, their difficulties with such participation, and their thoughts on what was needed to improve their participation. For data analysis, the interviews were transcribed and the content analyzed, with content triangulation performed for validity. From this, a total of 307 meaningful references were derived, comprising four categories, eight theme clusters, and 40 themes. The current physical activities and sports programs for people with disabilities in South Korea are led by the government to provide an environment for them to participate; however, to improve the quality of life for these people, these must be transformed into consumer-centric programs. To provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to choose the exercise program of their choice, it is necessary to research in advance what kind of exercise program these people want, centering on the local community. To strengthen the professionalism of disabled sports instructors, it is necessary to provide a stable environment for them in sports facilities and continue training them to build capacity. In terms of facilities, the expansion of sports facilities that can be used by people with disabilities is an urgent priority, and the opinions of users with disabilities must be actively collected and addressed in the operation of these facilities. Additionally, at the national level, information should be continuously provided through mass media and the Internet so that people with disabilities can know the importance of physical activity and sports and manage their own health. To that end, it would be helpful to conduct an in-depth analysis of countries with effective participation policies for people with disabilities and consider how these could be adapted to the situation in Korea. Full article

Studies have found physical inactivity to be a significant health risk factor and have demonstrated how physical inactivity behaviour varies according to social background. As a result, differences according to social background must be considered when examining motives and barriers related to physical activity and sport. This scoping review examines motives and barriers related to physical activity and sport among people with different social backgrounds, including age, socioeconomic status, gender, ethnic minority background and disability status. A systematic literature search was performed in four scientific databases and yielded 2935 articles of which 58 articles met the inclusion criteria. We identified common motives for physical activity and sport as health benefits, well-being, enjoyment, social interaction, and social support; common barriers as time restrictions, fatigue and lack of energy, financial restrictions, health-related restrictions, low motivation, and shortage of facilities. We also identified several motives and barriers that were specific to or more pronounced among people with different social backgrounds. The knowledge about motives and barriers related to physical activity and sport provided in this article can inform health promotion initiatives that seek to improve public health both in general and when specifically targeting groups of people with different social backgrounds. Full article