European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 2023 (vol. 16)
The European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity (EUJAPA) on its 16th volume – Editor-in-Chief farewell and welcome
Pauli Rintala, Kwok Ng, Florentina Hettinga
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 1 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.002 
Editorial for outgoing and incoming Editor-in-Chief of European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 2023
Physical activity and sport participation in veterans with extremity musculoskeletal disorders
Elahe Faraji, Ayoub Dabiri, Mostafa Allami, Mostajad Hosseini, Amir Hossein Barati
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 2 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.002
Increasing the physical activity and sport participation rates of people with disabilities has been one of the most important targets of sport policy both at national and international levels. The purpose of the current investigation was to assess participation in sports or physical activities among Iranian veterans with extremity musculoskeletal disorders. Data were obtained from health needs assessment studies conducted among Iranian veterans with musculoskeletal disorders in a 12-year period between 2005 and 2017. The collected Information on sport or physical activity participation was analyzed using χ2 test, independent t-test, partial correlation...
“It gives her a sense of accomplishment”: What parents say when children with disabilities ride.
Alice M. Buchanan, A. Kaitlyn Higgins
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 3 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.007
This interpretive study explored participants’ perceptions of their child’s involvement in Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT). EAAT is implemented with a horse and is based on the notion that interacting with the horse has positive benefits. Such activity is nearly always reported to have positive effects on the child. Few studies have investigated the perceptions of the parents of their children’s participation in horseback riding activities. The purpose of this study is to determine how parents and/or guardians perceive how EAAT impacts their young riders, and the epiphanic ways in which the parents view those changes....
Comparison of the vertical jump performance of footballers with cerebral palsy at different competitive levels
Matías Henríquez, Kevin Campos-Campos, Raúl Smith, Sebastián Aliste, Sonny Riquelme, Raul Reina
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 4 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.013
Vertical jump (VJ) capacity is a common assessment for monitoring athletes' neuromuscular function and has been proposed as a differentiating indicator between competitive levels of football players. This study aimed to compare the VJ capacity of Chilean footballers with cerebral palsy (CP) with international and national levels of proficiency, also according to their sport classes (i.e., FT1‒FT3). A total sample of 41 male footballers with CP were divided into international-level (n = 18) and national-level (n = 23) groups. All the participants performed two maximal squat jumps (SJs) and countermovement jumps (CMJs), where the best height obtained...
Effect of a motor behavior course on kinesiology students’ attitudes toward disability: A quasi-experimental study.
Samuel W. Logan, Layne Case, Kathleen R. Bogart, Erica Woekel
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 5 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.016
This quasi-experimental study used a nonrandomized, control group pre-test post-test research design to determine the effect of a motor behavior course with a social justice perspective on undergraduate students’ attitudes toward people with disabilities, alignment with the medical and social models of disability, and mobility beliefs. Undergraduate students enrolled at a public university (n=714) completed survey measures before and after participation in a 10-week course. Intervention group participants (n=357) were drawn from a required course for Kinesiology students that included social justice topics and video-based contact with people...
Using a university service-learning program to explore the experiences of older adult participants with physical disabilities
Gardenia Juarez, Josephine Blagrave, Luciana Zuest, Kevin Patton
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 6 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.010
Researchers have investigated older adults without physical disabilities in various physical activity (PA) programs. However, few studies have focused on older adults with physical disabilities. To the authors’ knowledge, no studies have explored the experiences of this population in a university service-learning program. To that end, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of older adults with physical disabilities in a physical activity university service-learning program. A qualitative research design was used to explore the experiences of six adults with physical disabilities using open-ended interviews, program observations,...
Differences in Special Olympics athletes and non-athletes with intellectual disability: physical activity, strength and aerobic fitness
Johanna Oskarsson, Sanna Fjellström, Elisabeth Hansen, Marie Ohlsson
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 7 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.015
Adults with intellectual disability (ID) have higher degree of sedentary lifestyle and participate in physical activity less compared to the general population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyse if participation in Special Olympics increase the level of physical activity (PA) and influence physical health aspects such as BMI, muscular strength and aerobic fitness for people with ID. Data were analysed from the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2020, on athletes (n=38) and non-athletes with ID (n=20), of strength (partial sit-up-, seated push-up-, handgrip- and timed sit to stand test), aerobic fitness (2 min step up test),...
Quality of reporting on physical activity content and teaching perspective. A scoping review on children with autism.
Anette Bentholm, Daniel Ramskov
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 8 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.014
The objective of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the variety and characteristics of publications on physical activity (PA) in studies including children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to evaluate the quality of the available information on PA content and description of teaching. This is important because completeness of intervention reporting holds great value for practitioners, patients, community leaders, and policymakers. The following research questions were answered (i) How is the PA content description completeness according to the 12 items in the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDIeR)...
Dynamics of courage: Personal learning processes in an adapted physical activity- based rehabilitation context, a single case study
Mette Miklos, Reidun Jahnsen, Astrid Nyquist, Halvor Hanisch
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 9 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.001
Learning processes require individuals to find the courage to engage in challenging activities. While being highly personal, such processes always occur within a relational social system. Rehabilitation programs with adapted physical activity as the main intervention facilitate opportunities for young adults with the experience of living with a disability to explore their capacities and develop activity competence and agency. This study aims to explore the dynamic relationship between personal experiences and the social processes underpinning a learning process within a rehabilitation program based on adapted physical activity in groups. An ethnographic...
Early motor skill interventions for children with autism; secondary effects on parents and families
Leanne K. Elliott, Jonathan A. Weiss, Meghann Lloyd
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 10 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.003
Motor skill interventions can improve the motor proficiency of children with autism, however, the secondary effects associated with these interventions are not well understood. The aim of this study is to describe 1) parents’ experiences with an early motor skill intervention for their children with autism, and 2) the secondary effects of the intervention on parents and families. Parents (n = 8) of four-year-old children with autism who participated in a 12-week motor skill intervention were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview to discuss their experiences. The study was grounded in descriptive phenomenology. Three themes emerged...
Effects of a school-based integrative neuromuscular training exercise intervention on physical fitness among children with autism spectrum disorder
Craig Coffey, Damien Sheehan, Avery D. Faigenbaum, Sean Healy, Rhodri S Lloyd, Sharon Kinsella
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 11 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.004
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an eight-week, school-based integrative neuromuscular training (INT) intervention on the fitness levels of seventy-eight, 4-12-year-old children with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children participated in an INT intervention, consisting of three, one-hour sessions per week. Physical fitness was assessed pre-and post-intervention using a modified Eurofit test battery and analysed using a 3x2 ANOVA. This INT intervention resulted in significant improvements of physical fitness (p < .05) pre- to post-intervention (20 m sprint [p = .044], standing broad jump,...
Children with neurodevelopmental disorder participating in an intervention –physical activity on prescription (PAP): parent’s reasoning about their children’s participation in sport.
Lars Kristén, Maria Nyholm, Marie Lydell
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 12 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.009
Children with disabilities engage less in physical activity and sports during their spare time compared to their peers without disabilities. Modern sports, contextual factors, and parents’ fear of discrimination have been discussed as barriers to participation. The aim of this study is to describe parents’ experiences of their child with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) participating in a PAP intervention. The intervention involved a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic (CAP), the Regional Sport Federation, and local sport clubs in the southwestern region of Sweden. A sample of 13 parents took part in semi-structured interviews,...
Perceptions of patients with psychosis on living an active lifestyle
Marte Bentzen, Ida Jarstadmarken, Gro Rugseth
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 13 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.006
The aim of the study was to gain insights into how people living with psychosis at a psychiatric hospital describe what living an active lifestyle means for them. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to guide the methodology. The study involved three participants diagnosed with psychotic disorder living at an institution offering long-term in-patient treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, including inviting participants to ‘walking-by-talking’ and to bring photos representing their notions of an active lifestyle to enhance the richness of the data and increase participants’ agency. All participants talked...
Difference in balance capacity for Special Olympics athletes and non-athletes with intellectual disabilities
Sanna Fjellström, Johanna Oskarsson, Elisabeth Hansen, Anna Nordström, Marie Lund Ohlsson
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 14 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.005
Fall incidents are a significant health problem for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and physical activity improves balance capacity and can prevent the risk of falling. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® offers health screenings and education to athletes with ID. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore whether Special Olympics athletes have better balance capacity than non-athletes with ID. During the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2020, athletes and non-athletes participated in the Healthy Athletes programme. The results of athletes (n=47) and non-athletes (n=25) for balance tests (i.e. single leg stance,...
Disability and physical activity perspectives of Hmong mothers who have a child with a disability
Jenifer Yang, Josephine A. Blagrave
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 15 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.007
Even though Hmong people have a unique history and culture, they are often overlooked and lumped together with other Asian American groups within the United States. Their experiences are rarely examined in depth, particularly when it comes to Hmong families with children who have disabilities. As the number of disabilities among racial and ethnic groups has grown, the services available to and research conducted about a few of those communities, such as the Hmong people, have been insufficient. Traditionally, Hmong people are active with their daily routines such as hunting and farming. Purposeful physical activity like joining a recreational sport...
Monitoring oxygen uptake, blood lactate and heart rate in swimmers with impairments: A systematic review
Wellington G. Feitosa, Ricardo de A. Correia, Tiago M. Barbosa, Flávio A. de S. Castro
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 16 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2023.008
Physiological parameters give an indication of the potential swimming performance. Studies regarding swimmers with impairments which gather information on physiological parameters are scarce. The aim of this study was to summarize the results of studies involving oxygen uptake, blood lactate and heart rate in swimming protocols for swimmers with physical impairments. A comprehensive search of the literature was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and EBSCO for complete studies between database inception and May 22nd, 2023. Ten studies (n = 142) fulfilled the inclusion criteria (including swimmers with physical impairments that monitor oxygen...