Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104555

Joseph Bortolussi, MSW, RSW, Neurodevelopmental Program, Bloorview Macmillan Children's Centre, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada, 416-424-3855 ext 3578, jbortolussi@bloorviewmacmillan.on.ca and Jeffrey W. Jutai, PhD, CPsych, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Western Ontario & St. Joseph's Health Care London, Parkwood Hospital, Room H422, 801 Commissioners Road East, London, ON N6C 5J1, Canada.

Our research program examines the health outcomes associated with the use of assistive technology devices (ATDs). It includes the development of a self-report questionnaire for adolescents, who have a physical disability, for use in survey research. The conceptual framework for this work applies health promotion research concepts to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health developed by the World Health Organization. The use of ATDs is viewed as developmental (time-dependent) process with distinguishable stages. We will report the results from qualitiative research studies to develop the contents and format for the questionnaire. The research participants were adolescents with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and who used a wheelchair as their primary means of mobility. At each of two participating children's treament centre, we recruited adolescents, aged 13-18 years, for two focus groups of maximum ten adolescents per group (total of forty participants). The younger group had adolescents aged 13-15 years and the older group, adolescents aged 16-18 years. Participants performed tasks designed to identify adaptations of an existing self-report tool for adults, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale(PIADS), that would inform the design of a tool for adolescents. The results confirmed that adolescents with mobility limitations regard ATDs as a means of enhancing quality of life through change or development of health related behaviours and conditions of living. The results will also demonstrate the similar and different values placed on ATDs between the adults and adolescents and how they may evolve in the transition to adulthood.

Learning Objectives:

• As a result of this presentation, audience members will be able to describe the important conceptual and methodological challenges when doing survey research with adolescents who have a physical disability. They will be able to describe potential solutions to these challenges. They will, also, be able to describe recent developments in researching the health impact of assistive technology on this population. This presentation will be of interest to all disciplines concerned with the contribution of assistive technology in promoting the health and well-being of young people with physical disabilities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation