Adherence and Continued Participation in a Wellness Class for Individuals with Disabilities

• Published in: Rehabilitation process and outcome Vol. 8; p. 1179572719843257
• Main Authors: Ware, Megan Elizabeth, deMarrais, Kathleen B, McCully, Kevin K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 2019; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Caregivers; Communication; Exercise; Intellectual disabilities; Interviews; Medical research; Multiple sclerosis; Narratives; Original Research; Participation; People with disabilities; Perceptions; Physical fitness; Researchers; Social interaction; Studies; Wellness programs; participation; exercise; adherence; disability
• ISSN: 1179-5727; 1179-5727
• DOI: 10.1177/1179572719843257

Background: For individuals with disabilities, adherence and participation in wellness programs is a challenge. Adherence and participation were explored in a wellness class for people with disabilities. Objective: Understand what factors impact participant adherence and participation in the wellness class. Methods: Eight wellness class participants, who have been in the class for 6 to 36 months, were chosen for qualitative interviews. Interview responses were coded and analyzed for overarching themes. Results: A total of 77 codes were obtained from interview data. The primary theme identified from the codes was related to social interaction with the student-trainers, divided into subthemes of social accountability, motivation, supporting classroom environment, and participant-student interaction. Conclusion: The primary factor influencing adherence and participation was related to social interaction with student-trainers. These results suggest that social interaction can play a major role in continued participation in exercise as well as exercise adherence.