Impact of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic on the Movement Behaviours of Children and Youth with Disabilities and Recommendations for Building Back Better Healthy Movement Opportunities

The movement behaviours – physical activity, recreational screen time and sleep – of children and youth with disabilities (CYD) have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline in physical activity from pre-pandemic levels is further compounded by the unique barriers to physical activity that CYD experience.  

The following resources address how COVID-19 has impacted the movement behaviours of CYD, highlight the importance of families of CYD in encouraging healthy movement behaviours, and share considerations for organizations that facilitate sport and physical activity programming on how to better support CYD and their families.

To access the printed resources, click the images or download the pdfs at the bottom of the webpage.

1. Conference Poster: CYD Movement Behaviours and COVID-19  
2. Conference Poster: Parent Support – CYD Movement Behaviours and COVID-19 
3. Recorded Presentation: Understanding Experiences Related to CYD Movement Behaviours During COVID-19 Pandemic  YouTube link click here
4. Infographic: Impact of COVID-19 on CYD Movement Behaviours and How to Revitalize Healthy Movement 
5. Instructional Resource: Recommendations for Sport and Physical Activity Programs

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For the full pdf copy of the Recommendations for Sport and Physical Activity Programs report, click the image or download the pdf at the bottom of the page:

TIME 1 BASELINE RESULTS:

In Spring 2020, researchers from the National Physical Activity Measurement (NPAM) Study conducted a survey among 151 parents of a child with a disability to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their child's movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) and overall health.

The time 1 baseline results of the survey are provided in the infographic below.

Click the infographic or select the pdf file at the bottom of the page for details.

TIME 2 RESULTS:

In Fall 2020, researchers from the National Physical Activity Measurement (NPAM) Study† conducted a follow-up survey among 87 parents of a child with a disability to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact their child's movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) and overall health. 

The time 2 results of the survey are provided in the infographic below.

Click the infographic or select the pdf file at the bottom of the page for details.