Study design Grounded theory qualitative approach. Objectives To examine critical factors associated with interest in enrolling in a physical activity (PA) research intervention among a predominant group of adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) and develop a theory that can enhance future recruitment success. Setting Participants were recruited through the network of a community exercise facility for people with physical disabilities. Methods Interviews were conducted with 22 wheelchair users (mean age 46 ± 13 years; SCI [n = 19], cerebral palsy [n = 1]; multiple sclerosis [n = 1]; and bilateral limb loss [n = 1]) in either a one-on-one format or focus group. Interview data were coded, and these codes were organized into conceptual categories using a constructivist grounded theory framework. Results Adults with SCI conceive three core concerns with enrolling into a PA trial: (1) capability to participate in the program due to scheduling, transportation, and secondary health conditions; (2) mental balancing of anticipated benefits versus the difficulty of starting the program; and (3) desirability of the program characteristics based on their preferences and needs. Concerns were organized into a theory that may enhance future recruitment success. Conclusions Recruitment is often overlooked in PA research for people with SCI despite it being a primary rate-limiting factor that severely limits the external validity of published studies. Study findings identified core recruitment concerns that are likely similar with general barriers to PA participation. This paper proposed a 3-step decision-making process that can serve as a starting point for overcoming recruitment issues in PA research with people with SCI.
Background
People with physical disabilities need exercise routines that are enjoyable, readily available in the home, adapted to their functional level, and eliminate common barriers to exercise participation related to transportation and time commitment. The purpose of the movement-to-music (M2M) study is to address these issues by establishing a remotely delivered, rhythmic exercise program for people with physical disabilities.
Methods
The study is a two-arm randomized controlled efficacy trial examining a 12-week remotely delivered M2M intervention (eM2M) in 108 people with physical disabilities. The primary outcomes are changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength at post 12-week intervention.
Discussion
The eM2M study will enhance our understanding of an alternative intervention design and delivery mode that removes common barriers to exercise participation experienced by people with physical disabilities. The eM2M intervention may be an alternative option for people with physical disabilities to obtain regular exercise, especially during a pandemic when exercising in indoor facilities may be problematic.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03797378. Registered on January 9, 2019, with the trial name “Movement-to-Music: Lakeshore Examination of Activity, Disability, and Exercise Response Study (M2M LEADERS)”.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.