Research Impact: Physical activity among young adolescents with functional limitations is important, because through physical activity, individuals can prevent the onset of secondary health conditions that can complicate the treatment of the functional limitations. In this study of a national physical activity surveillance study in Finland, over 1500 young adolescents, aged between 11-16y old, wore accelerometers for a week, and self-reported the functional difficulties in a modified version of the Washington group on disability short set questionnaire. Light (LPA) and Moderate-to-Vigorous (MVPA) was compared between adolescents with and without disabilities. There were statistically differences in LPA, but not MVPA between adolescents with and without disabilities. There were also specific results depending on the type of functional limitations and the intensity of physical activities. It is therefore important to consider how national representative samples can be reported when considering physical activity and young adolescents with disabilities. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is exploring the way physical activity is a component of daily routines, and the results of the study could be used to help direct clearer diagnostic tools for core sets.
Keywords: Disabilities, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, WashINGTON Group on Disability Statistics,
Ng K.W., Rintala, P, Husu, P., Villberg, J., Vasankari, R and Kokko, S. 2018. Device-based physical activity levels among Finnish adolescents with functional limitations. Disability and Health Journal. In Press https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1936657418301869
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