Abstract
BackgroundPeople with disabilities face barriers to in-person physical activity (PA), including a lack of adaptive equipment and knowledgeable instructors. Given this and the increased need for digital resources due to widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, it is necessary to assess the accessibility of digital fitness resources for people with disabilities. To investigate whether YouTube fitness content creators have made videos accessible to people with disabilities would be informative about access to PA during COVID-19 and could also provide insight into the feasibility of individuals who are disabled relying on YouTube for PA in a post–COVID-19 world.ObjectiveThis study aims to ascertain if disability-friendly PA videos on YouTube are accessible through searching general fitness terms and whether a change in the availability of accessible fitness resources for people with disabilities occurred on YouTube between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic on “Hospital/Medical Institutions,” “Individual(s),” and “Other(s)” channels. Secondary aims are to investigate if different categories of YouTube channels produce more accessible fitness content and highlight any disparities in disability-friendly PA content on YouTube.MethodsA cross-sectional text analysis of exercise-related YouTube videos was conducted. The authors used Python (version 3.0) to access the YouTube database via its data application programming interface. Terms pertaining to PA that were searched on YouTube were at-home exercise, exercise at home, exercise no equipment, home exercise, home-based exercise, no equipment workout, and workout no equipment. Various elements (eg, view count and content generation) of the videos published between January 1 and June 30, 2019 (n=700), were compared to the elements of videos published between January 1 and June 30, 2020 (n=700). To capture a broad idea of disability-friendly videos on YouTube, videos were labeled “accessible” if they were found in the first 100 video results and if their title, description, or tags contained the following terms: para, paralympic, adaptive, adapted, disabled, disability, differently abled, disability-friendly, wheelchair accessible, and inclusive. Each video and channel were categorized as “Hospitals/Medical Institutions,” “Individuals,” or “Other(s).”ResultsThe analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in viewership of fitness content on YouTube (P=.001) and in fitness content generated by Hospitals/Medical Institutions (P=.004). Accessible terms applicable to people with disabilities had minimal appearances in 2019 (21 videos) and 2020 (19 videos). None of the top viewed fitness videos that populated on YouTube from 2019 or 2020 were accessible.ConclusionsThe proportion of accessible disability-friendly videos remains diminutive relative to the prevalence of disability in the general population, revealing that disability-friendly videos are seldom findable on YouTube. Thus, the need for disability-friendly fitness content to be easily searched and found remains urgent if access to digital fitness resources is to improve.
Highlights
BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is a critical health strategy for the prevention and maintenance of strong physical and mental health as well as upholding a high quality of life [1,2,3,4]
The analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in viewership of fitness content on YouTube (P=.001) and in fitness content generated by Hospitals/Medical Institutions (P=.004)
The proportion of accessible disability-friendly videos remains diminutive relative to the prevalence of disability in the general population, revealing that disability-friendly videos are seldom findable on YouTube
Summary
BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is a critical health strategy for the prevention and maintenance of strong physical and mental health as well as upholding a high quality of life [1,2,3,4]. One study conducted by the Lakeshore Foundation in collaboration with Degree found that 81% of people with disabilities feel uncomfortable using traditional gym and fitness spaces and resources [8] The reasons for this include, but are not limited to, having greater trust in the source of instruction and greater comfort in the safety of PA if it is being led by someone who would understand the manifestations and possible limitations of a particular diagnosis [7]. People with disabilities face barriers to in-person physical activity (PA), including a lack of adaptive equipment and knowledgeable instructors Given this and the increased need for digital resources due to widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, it is necessary to assess the accessibility of digital fitness resources for people with disabilities. To investigate whether YouTube fitness content creators have made videos accessible to people with disabilities would be informative about access to PA during COVID-19 and could provide insight into the feasibility of individuals who are disabled relying on YouTube for PA in a post–COVID-19 world
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