Functional and Environmental Factors Are Associated With Sustained Participation in Adaptive Sports

BACKGROUND: Although community-based adaptive sports have become a popular means of rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities, little is known regarding the factors that lead to sustained participation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the demographic, environmental, disability-related, and functional factors associated with sustained participation in a community-based adaptive sports program. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Community-based adaptive sports program. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with mobility-related disabilities. METHODS: Data were collected from registration forms and participation logs. Participants were described as "sustainers" if they attended ≥2 sessions, or as "nonsustainers" if they attended 0 or 1 session. We examined the associations between sustained participation and demographic, environmental, disability-related, and functional factors in bivariate and multivariable analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Sustained participation in the adaptive sports program. RESULTS: Of the 134 participants, 78 (58%) were sustainers and 56 (42%) were nonsustainers. In multivariable analyses, participants who ambulated independently had lower odds of being sustainers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.11, 0.96), and those who used an ambulatory assistive device had twice the odds of being sustainers (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.65, 6.2) compared to those who used a manual wheelchair. Moreover, participants who lived within 5.3 miles of the program site (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.1, 13.0) and those who lived between 5.3 and 24.4 miles from the program site (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.0, 7.7) had significantly higher odds of sustained participation than those who lived more than 24.4 miles from the program site. CONCLUSION: Sustained participation in community-based adaptive sports is associated with living closer to the program site and the presence of a moderate level of functional impairment. These findings suggest that programs might consider increasing the number of satellite sites and expanding offerings for individuals with mild or more significant mobility-related disabilities to effectively increase program participation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.