Exploring Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Physical Disability

The benefits of increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior are widely acknowledged and include reductions in premature mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and type 2 diabetes. For children and adults with physical disabilities, physical activity may have additional benefits on function and community participation. On average, children and adults with physical disabilities are less active than people without disabilities and have higher levels of sedentary behavior, which may contribute to the health and social inequalities. The most recent guidelines recommend that adults with disabilities participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week and children participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate activity daily. Children and adults are also advised to minimize the time in sedentary behavior. The majority of people with physical disabilities do not achieve these guidelines. This suggests that efforts are needed to identify innovative approaches that enhance participation in physical activity for children and adults with physical disabilities and to decrease the impact of societal and physical barriers on people's ability to achieve the levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior recommended in the guidelines.

Supporting children and adults with physical disabilities to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior has the potential to enhance community participation, improve health, and reduce health and social inequalities. However, influences of physical activity and sedentary behavior are multi-faceted and interdependent. There remains a dearth of information on the complexity of influences and how these are effectively addressed to support change. The goal of this research topic is to explore and provide a forum for shared learning regarding the interactions of individual, social and structural factors that influence (1) the impact of, (2) experiences of, and (3) attempts to promote increased participation in physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior among children and adults with physical disabilities.

We welcome submissions of original applied, policy and practice reviews, systematic reviews, brief research reports, mini-reviews, policy briefs, and opinions. We specifically welcome research that uses inclusive methodologies and contributions from people with disabilities as researchers. We invite authors to examine conceptually, theoretically, and empirically one or more of the following topics:

- Evidence to support innovative approaches to enhancing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior among children and adults with physical disabilities.
- Inter-sectorial and systemic challenges, including policy, to participating in physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior among children and adults with physical disabilities.
- Associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior, community participation, and physical, mental, and social wellbeing among people with physical disabilities across the lifespan.
- Experiences of children and adults with physical disabilities in relation to participating in physical activity and/or reducing sedentary behavior, including the impact of societal and physical barriers.