Let’s Ride: Improving physical activity in wheelchair using children and adolescents: wheelchair mobility skills training, wheelchair fitness training or a combination?

Manual wheelchair using children with a physical disability are less active compared to their non-disabled peers. A large proportion of these children use a manual wheelchair for their daily activities. In a recent study looking into factors associated with physical activity in children and adolescents with Spina Bifida, several factors were identified as barriers or facilitators towards physical activity when using a manual wheelchair. For example, a higher level of wheelchair mobility skills or wheelchair fitness could have a positive influence on physical activity. Outcome measures for manual wheelchair using children and adolescents have recently been developed to be able to assess wheelchair mobility skills, wheelchair fitness and physical activity. It remains unclear if a wheelchair mobility skills or wheelchair fitness training program in children or adolescents can increase their levels of physical activity. Therefor the objective of this study was to assess whether wheelchair mobility skills training, wheelchair fitness training or a combination of both training programs has an effect on physical activity in wheelchair using children and adolescents.

Wheelchair mobility skills training and wheelchair fitness training will both increase the level of physical activity in wheelchair using children and adolescents.

Wheelchair fitness training prior to wheelchair mobility skills training will show a higher increase in physical activity in wheelchair using children and adolescents compared to wheelchair mobility skills training before wheelchair fitness training.

Baseline, post training program 1, post training program 2, follow-up

An eight week wheelchair mobility skills training program using the training protocol of ‘Fit For the Future’ and KJ-Projects: ‘veilig en vertrouwd met een rolstoel’ followed by an eight week wheelchair fitness training program using a High intensity Interval Training protocol of ‘Fit For the Future’. After the training program is completed there will be an usual care follow-up period of 16 weeks.

An eight week wheelchair fitness training program using a High intensity Interval Training protocol of ‘Fit For the Future’ followed by an eight week wheelchair mobility skills training program using the training protocol of ‘Fit For the Future’ and KJ-Projects: ‘veilig en vertrouwd met een rolstoel’. After the training program is completed there will be an usual care follow-up period of 16 weeks.

The control group will receive no treatment other than usual care for 16 weeks and will consecutively be allocated to one of the two training programs.