Type, intensity and duration of daily physical activities performed by adults with spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare (1) self-reported intensities and durations of specific types of daily physical activities and (2) minutes per day spent on daily physical activities across key demographic groups. SETTING: Community (Ontario, Canada). METHODS: Participants were 695 adults with spinal cord injury (SCI; 76% male, Mage=46.81±13.41 years, Myears post injury=15.19±11.10 years). Daily activities were assessed over the telephone using the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with SCI. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were computed to test for differences in intensities and durations of different daily activities (objective 1) and between-group differences in minutes per day of daily activities (objective 2). RESULTS: Overall, participants reported 127.92±142.79 min per day of daily physical activities with significantly more time spent in mild intensity (78.93±104.62 min per day) than moderate- (40.23±68.71 min per day) or heavy-intensity activities (8.75±24.53 min per day). Four patterns emerged with respect to type, duration and intensity, with some activities being typically performed at lighter or heavier intensities than others. There were significant differences in minutes per day of activity intensity and duration between groups based on education, injury severity and mode of mobility (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Given that some groups were more likely to engage in moderate-heavy-intensity activities, and some activities were more likely to be performed at moderate-heavy intensities, interventions that target key groups to increase certain daily activities may be one strategy to enhance overall physical activity participation among people with SCI.

A description and estimate of very low-intensity activity and inactive awake time in community-dwelling adults with chronic spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the amount of very low-intensity activity (VLPA) or inactive daily awake time that people with spinal cord injury (SCI) engage in and to determine correlates of VLPA/inactivity in this population. SETTING: Community (Ontario, Canada). METHODS: Participants with SCI (n=695; Mage=47 years; Myears post-injury=15 years, 76% men) completed telephone interviews. Demographic details and injury-related characteristics were self-reported. Total daily physical activity (for example, mild, moderate and heavy intensity) was measured using the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with SCI (PARA-SCI). VLPA/inactivity was calculated by subtracting total daily physical activity time from daily awake time. Correlates of VLPA/inactivity were assessed using a hierarchical linear regression where demographic variables were entered on the first step and injury-related characteristics were entered second. RESULTS: Participants reported VLPA/inactivity for approximately 768±169 min per day, or 84%, of their awake time. The regression model predicting VLPA/inactivity was not significant. CONCLUSION: People with SCI spend the majority of their awake time in VLPA/inactivity. However, VLPA/inactivity did not differ as a function of demographic or injury-related variables, suggesting that all segments of the SCI population could benefit from strategies to reduce inactivity.

Active Living Leaders Training Program for adults with spinal cord injury: a pilot study.

STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental pre-post design with 6-month follow-up. OBJECTIVES: Active Living Leaders Training Program (ALLTP) equips individuals with knowledge and skills to encourage those with spinal cord injury (SCI) to increase their leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). The purpose of this pilot study was to, first, (i) evaluate participants' perceptions of the relevance/usefulness of ALLTP material/presentation, (ii) examine changes in participants' self-efficacy to promote LTPA, (iii) identify program components associated with greater self-efficacy and, second, measure participants' use of ALLTP skills and resources over the subsequent 6 months. SETTING: Canada. METHODS: Six SCI fitness trainers and six adults with SCI completed the three sections of ALLTP and, after each section, provided feedback. Six months later, participants' use of resources and skills was assessed. Means, standard deviations, repeated measures analysis of variance and Pearson's correlations were computed. RESULTS: Relevance/usefulness of the program was rated favorably. Self-efficacy to speak about and encourage LTPA remained high throughout the ALLTP and was positively correlated with the relevance/usefulness of program content and presentation. At follow-up, participants had discussed LTPA with an average of seven people with disabilities and reported using at least one skill and resource from the ALLTP during those discussions. CONCLUSIONS: Users had positive perceptions of ALLTP and reported using the training to promote LTPA to others with disabilities. Participant feedback has been used to improve ALLTP. ALLTP can now be used to train people with SCI and SCI fitness trainers to promote LTPA to others with disabilities.

An investigation of seasonal variation in leisure-time physical activity in persons with spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Secondary cross-sectional analyses of a cohort. OBJECTIVES: To examine seasonal variation in total moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MV-LTPA), exercise and sport participation in a cohort of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Community (Ontario, Canada). METHODS: Participants with SCI (n=695) completed telephone interviews regarding their involvement in MV-LTPA along with social cognitive predictors of MV-LTPA. Logistic regression was used to predict the impact of season on participation in MV-LTPA, exercise and sport. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine seasonal variation in min per day of MV-LTPA in the active sub-cohort (n=342) with a specific focus on exercise (for example, wheeling), and sport (for example, sledge hockey). RESULTS: Logistic regressions revealed that season did not predict whether participants engaged in MV-LTPA, exercise or sport. Linear regressions revealed that individuals in the active sub-cohort who completed the questionnaire during the winter reported engaging in less MV-LTPA than those who were interviewed in summer (ßsummer=0.14, P<0.05). This pattern was observed for exercise (ßsummer=0.16, P<0.05; R2 change=0.018) but not for sport (ßsummer=0.076, P=0.68; R2 change=0.014). CONCLUSION: Individuals with SCI report less exercise and total LTPA accrued during the winter months; sport was found to be an exception to this case.