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Associations of sport participation with selfperception, exercise self-efficacy and quality of life among children and adolescents with a physical disability or chronic disease—a cross-sectional study.

Velde, S.J. te, Lankhorst, K., Zwinkels, M., Verschuren, O., Takken, T., Groot, J. de. Associations of sport participation with selfperception, exercise self-efficacy and quality of life among children and adolescents with a physical disability or chronic disease—a cross-sectional study. Sports Medicine Open: 2018, 4(38)
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Background
Little evidence is available about how sports participation influences psychosocial health and quality of life in children and adolescents with a disability or chronic disease. 2

Aim
Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess the association of sports participation with psychosocial health and with quality of life, among children and adolescents with a disability.

Methods
In a cross-sectional study, 195 children and adolescents with physical disabilities or chronic diseases (11% cardiovascular, 5% pulmonary, 8% metabolic, 8% musculoskeletal/orthopaedic, 52% neuromuscular and 9% immunological diseases and 1% with cancer), aged 10–19 years, completed questionnaires to assess sports participation, health-related quality of life (DCGM-37), self-perceptions and global self-worth (SPPC or SPPA) and exercise self-efficacy.

Results
Regression analyses showed that those who reported to participate in sports at least twice a week had more beneficial scores on the various indicators compared to their peers who did not participate in sport or less than twice a week. Those participating in sports scored better on all scales of the DCGM-37 scale, on the scales for feelings of athletic competence and children but not adolescents participating in sports reported greater social acceptance. Finally, we found a strong association between sport participation and exercise self-efficacy.

Conclusions
This study provides the first indications that participating in sports is beneficial for psychosocial health among children and adolescents with a disability. However, more insight is needed in the direction of the relationships. (aut. ref.)