Translating the international scientific spinal cord injury exercise guidelines into community and clinical practice guidelines: a Canadian evidence-informed resource.

STUDY DESIGN: Knowledge translation (KT) study. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate how to use systematic, community-engaged methods to (1) translate the international scientific spinal cord injury (SCI) exercise guidelines into community and clinical practice guidelines, and (2) develop supporting resources. SETTING: Canada. METHODS: An expert panel of SCI researchers and stakeholders translated the guidelines and developed a supporting resource, using a KT process guided by an adapted version of the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II Instrument. Pilot tests with end-users were conducted throughout. RESULTS: The panel recommended (1) the two scientific exercise guidelines be combined and presented in a single message titled "The Canadian SCI physical activity guidelines"; (2) development of an online supporting resource, with educational and motivational information presented in "layers" to address the needs and preferences of diverse end-users. The top layer presents and explains the Canadian SCI physical activity guidelines. The deeper layers include information on benefits, overcoming barriers, activity examples, safety tips, and links to existing resources. Interviews with adults with SCI (n = 8) and survey-data from end-users (n = 90) showed that the guidelines and supporting resource were perceived as clear, useful, and appropriate. CONCLUSION: Using community-engaged methods, the two scientific SCI exercise guidelines were combined into one single physical activity guideline message. This KT process provides a template for groups in other countries to translate the scientific SCI exercise guidelines to their local settings using a similar systematic, community-engaged approach. SPONSORSHIP: Rick Hansen Institute; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

A case study of a community-university multidisciplinary partnership approach to increasing physical activity participation among people with spinal cord injury.

Over the past decade, increasing emphasis has been placed on the importance of health behavior change research being conducted in partnership with the beneficiaries of the intended research outcomes. Although such an approach should enhance the relevance of the research and the uptake of findings, it raises challenges regarding how best to cultivate and sustain meaningful partnerships to accomplish these goals. In this paper, we provide a case study of SCI Action Canada-a multidisciplinary team partnership approach to increasing physical activity among adults with spinal cord injuries. The research and knowledge mobilization phases are described. In addition, preliminary indicators of partnership success and key informant interviews are presented to highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with using a community-university partnership approach to influence positive health behavior change.