Measuring physical activity in adolescents with disabilities / Toimintarajoitteisten nuorten fyysisen aktiivisuuden mittaaminen

Children and adolescents with disabilities are known to be physically less active than their peers, but the information on their daily physical activity measured with a device is lacking. This collection of articles was created as part of the Falla project (2022–2024), implemented by Jamk University of Applied Sciences and Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. The project aimed to develop a physical activity measurement and feedback system for adolescents with disabilities. Individuality is highlighted as a priority when measuring the physical activity in people with disabilities. Falla project developed a profile diagram to help the process for selecting the most appropriate device and mounting location among this population. Of the 96 adolescents who responded to the usability survey, 87 per cent found the selected device-based monitors easy to use, but one fourth felt that the device had hampered their everyday life and one third had skin symptoms. The amount of moderate-to-vigorous daily physical activity varied greatly in different units (7–102 min/day). Six adolescents using a manual wheelchair accumulated on average only 0.6 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. It may be impossible for some people to achieve the recommendations for physical activity. However, it should be noted that even a small increase in physical activity and changes in daily rhythm in terms of physical activity could be beneficial to individuals. The project also examined the usability and user experiences of commercially available consumer-based devices measuring physical activity, which will help in understanding the suitability of these devices for different needs. Keywords: disabilities, impairements, young people, physical activity, measurement, measuring instruments (devices), heart rate monitors