Characteristics Influencing Diversity of Participation of Children in Activities Outside School

Meaningful everyday life situations from the perspective of children born preterm: A photo-elicitation interview study with six-year-old children

AIM

The aim of the study was to explore meaningful everyday life situations as perceived by six-year-old children born preterm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study had a descriptive qualitative design with an inductive approach. Ten, six-year-old children born preterm, not diagnosed with any disabilities, participated. Data was collected by photo-elicitation interviews to stimulate and help the children to describe their meaningful everyday life situations. A qualitative content analysis according to Elo and Kyngäs was applied.

RESULTS

The children's descriptions of meaningful everyday life situations can be understood as being in an active and dynamic process, representing the core category. The analysis resulted in three generic categories, as the children described the significance of having significant circumstances and doing things. The experiences the children gain when they do things create their desire for further development.

DISCUSSION

The results reveal that children born preterm are able to reflect on and give detailed descriptions of situations of importance to them. The study suggests that if six-year-old children born preterm are given the opportunity to share their views they can take an active role e.g. in planning and carrying through of interventions by health care services.

The convergent validity of the Children's Leisure Assessment Scale (CLASS) and Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC)

Background: Children's play and leisure participation is often assessed by occupational therapists. As such, it is essential that therapists utilize play and leisure scales that are valid, reliable and responsive.Aim: To examine the convergent validity between the Children's Leisure Assessment Scale (CLASS) and Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC).Methods: Forty healthy Australian children (60% female; mean age 9.2 ± 2.01 years) completed the CLASS and CAPE/PAC. Spearman's rho correlations with bootstrapping were completed.Results: A number of the CLASS and CAPE/PAC subscales were significantly correlated. The CAPE's overall scale scores and CLASS's instrumental indoor activities, outdoor activities and games and sport activities subscales were significantly correlated (p > 0.05). The CAPE's Social domain showed several significant correlations with the CLASS's instrumental indoor activities, outdoor activities and self-enrichment activities domains (p < 0.05). Statistically significant relationships were found between the CLASS's outdoor activity preference and the PAC's recreational, physical, formal, informal and overall performance scores (r = 0.466-0.773, p < 0.05).Conclusions and Significance: Preliminary evidence in support of the convergent validity between the CAPE/PAC and CLASS was obtained. Limitations include a small sample size and convenience sampling. Further investigation of the psychometric properties of the CAPE/PAC and CLASS are recommended.