Adapted physical activity : Active healthy lifestyle for all

• Children and young people with disabilities do not have today the same opportunities to participate in sporting and health-promoting activities as other young people without such handicaps. Sporting activities for these children and teenagers can in many cases not be pursued in their leisure time and are not exploited to any great extent within rehabilitation. Within the curricular framework of the school, special needs teaching in Physical Education is available but as with amateur sports provision in general it is dependent on the expertise and methods of the teacher or trainer. Today, the concept of health is defined as more than merely the absence of disease, and there is an ongoing development towards a total health concept, a holistic concept. APA is well in line with WHO’s new International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), where disability is replaced by activity and handicap by participation. The revised version supersedes the previous International Classification of Impairment, Disability and Handicap (ICIDH), whereby the sporting activity becomes a means of achieving both health and participation. Among others, findings shows that adapted physical activity can involve different health aspects for the child or adolescent with a disability e.g. strengthening one's physique and having a good time as well as facilitating their participation in society e.g. getting new friends and becoming someone. On the other hand, physical activity can have both a positive and a negative influence on the different dimensions of health, seen in terms of physical, mental, social and spiritual/existential well-being. It would be desirable to more clearly tie research and educational investment into the area which would reflect not only national and community aims but also favour the individual’s opportunities and benefits in terms of sporting and health-promoting activities.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Keyword

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS

TVÄRVETENSKAPLIGA FORSKNINGSOMRÅDEN

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)