Abstract
Study designFocus group.ObjectivesThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions and priorities of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) for physical activity and to incorporate their feedback to inform future development of a physical activity program delivered via a telemonitoring platform.SettingNew York.MethodsQualitative data were collected from a purposive sample of adults with tetraplegia (N = 7). Two investigators led an audio-recorded focus group using a moderator’s guide. Data were analyzed using a six-phase thematic analysis approach.ResultsThe discussion focused on two major areas, which resulted in multiple derived themes and subthemes. The first theme centered on the daily life of persons with tetraplegia, including changes after SCI, gain of function prioritization, and identification of psychosocial support systems that facilitate community reintegration after injury. The second theme centered on participant perceptions and recommendations for a physical activity program delivered via a telemonitoring platform. Desired design features included variations in schedule, diverse activities, or exercises included in each class, and optional two-way video to enable social interactions with classmates.ConclusionsParticipants favorably viewed the concept of a physical activity program delivered via a telemonitoring platform and contributed program design ideas. Although this was a small sample size, challenges to obtaining physical activity expressed by participants were consistent with those identified previously in larger studies of persons with tetraplegia. Therefore, we expect these concepts and their recommendations to be relevant to the greater SCI community.
Highlights
350,000 persons in the US are living with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) [1, 2]
Persons with SCI are at increased risk for developing obesity, muscle atrophy, osteoporosis, accelerated atherogenesis, type II diabetes mellitus, and other medical consequences that increase the risk of stroke and coronary
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that able-bodied adults perform 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and participate in two or more days of muscle-strengthening exercise weekly [12]
Summary
350,000 persons in the US are living with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) [1, 2]. Spinal Cord Series and Cases (2019)5:48 heart disease [1,2,3] This reduced mobility often has deleterious psychosocial effects that impact quality of life, including increased social isolation, reduced social participation, reduced exercise self-efficacy, and depression [4, 5]. Physical activity is a recommended therapeutic strategy to reduce risks of common medical consequences across diverse clinical populations [6, 7]. The latest physical activity guidelines for adults with SCI recommend, “at least 20 min of moderate to vigorousintensity aerobic exercise two times per week and three sets of strength exercise for each functioning muscle group, at moderate to vigorous intensity, two times per week” [13, 14]. It is recommended that adults with SCI engage in at least 30 min of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise three times per week [13, 15]
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