Parental physical activity support for parents of children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is crucial for promoting physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health. Unfortunately, children with disabilities spend less time engaging in PA compared to their typically developing peers. Parents play a crucial role in supporting children with disabilities to increase their level of PA. However, there is scant research on the factors linked to parental support for PA among non-Western parents of children with disabilities, particularly in the context of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, to address this gap in the literature, the current study aimed to (i) measure parental support for encouraging PA in children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia, and (ii) examine the demographic factors associated with such support (e.g., family income, age of the child, type of disability, and parents' educational background). The sample included Saudi Arabian parents of children with disabilities (N = 239; fathers: n = 123; mothers: n = 116) who completed the Arabic version of the Parental Physical Activity Support Questionnaire for Parents of Children with Disabilities (PPSQ for PCD). The findings revealed that parental support for children with disabilities to engage in PA typically occurs less than once a week, indicating an inadequate level of support. A generalized linear model analysis demonstrated that several independent demographic variables are associated with overall parental support for PA among children with disabilities: participant age, educational background, parental engagement in PA, age of the child with a disability, disability status, club participation, knowledge of legislation or policies related to the rights of children with disabilities, and number of children in the family. The findings emphasize the significance of raising awareness among parents of children with disabilities to support their children in participating in PA, as well as addressing the barriers that hinder such support.

Keywords: Children with disabilities; Disability; Exercise; Parental support; Physical activity.