Before and during COVID-19: parent experiences, perceptions, and preferences regarding community-based physical activity

Abstract

Participation in community-based recreational physical activity can provide health benefits for children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). This descriptive thematic study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of parents (N=6) of 11 children with IDD (age 4-11) with community-based recreational physical activity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic through online semi-structured interviews. Four main themes emerged from the parent’s descriptions of community-based physical activity participation before the pandemic: Personal experiences in recreation, barriers to community-based recreational physical activity participation, facilitators to community-based recreational physical activity participation, and intrinsic value. Parents’ descriptions of physical activity participation during the pandemic resulted in three main themes: COVID-19 and IDD, impact on recreational physical activity, and insights from COVID-19. The results from this study suggest that community-based recreational physical activity is highly valued by parents of children with IDD and that it belongs on the continuum of intervention services that family’s access.