Potential of social engagement for overcoming barriers to physical activity in individuals with spinal cord injury
Published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2023
Recommended citation: Alexandra Canori, Rithika Lakshminarayanan, Melissa Nunn, Mary Schmidt-Read, Stephen S Intille, Shivayogi V Hiremath. (2023). "Engaging Social Connections to Promote Physical Activity in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury." Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering. 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683231185755
A user-needs survey was conducted with participants in the spinal cord injury (SCI) community. We recruited 26 participants (16 individuals with SCI and 10 family members or peers). A participatory design process using semi-structured interviews was used to identify themes relating to PA barriers. One theme related to PA barriers was lack of PA-focused forums to connect with peers. Participants with SCI considered connecting with other individuals with SCI more motivating than connecting with their family members. Another key finding was that participants with SCI did not perceive that personal fitness trackers were targeted towards wheelchair-based activities.
Recommended citation: Alexandra Canori, Rithika Lakshminarayanan, Melissa Nunn, Mary Schmidt-Read, Stephen S Intille, Shivayogi V Hiremath. (2023). “ Engaging Social Connections to Promote Physical Activity in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.” Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering. 10(1).