Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health restrictions have disproportionally impacted the health of children and youth with disabilities (CYD). Contributing to poor health among CYD is the lack of healthy movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep) observed within this population throughout the pandemic. Understanding how the pandemic has impacted the movement behaviours and health of Canadian CYD is an important step for identifying strategies that can aid in pandemic recovery. This study explored the experiences of CYD and their families during the pandemic specifically related to CYD's movement behaviours and physical and mental health. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with Canadian families of CYD in March 2020 (7 mothers, Mage=44 years; 3 boys, 4 girls, Mage =10 years). Interviews were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis. The resulting themes relating to CYD's movement behaviours and health included: (1) reduced physiotherapy opportunities (e.g., missed visits, lack of specialized equipment), (2) unoccupied time (e.g., increased time for screens), (3) parental capacity (e.g., lack of time to provide support, parental stress) and (4) shifting of routines (e.g., later bedtimes, limited social opportunities). All four of these themes were influenced by the affordances of the social and built environment within families' communities. This study provides novel contextual information regarding the experiences of CYD and their families during the pandemic which may be contributing to the decline in healthy movement behaviours and overall health. These results can help to inform strategies to overcome repercussions related to the pandemic for CYD.
