The experiences of participating in winter among youths with a physical disability compared with their typically developing peers.

BACKGROUND: Having a physical disability and using a wheelchair can create difficulties in navigating the physical and built environment, especially during winter when snow and ice become problematic. Little is known about the experiences of winter among youth who use an assistive mobility device. This study aimed to understand how youth with a physical disability experience winter, compared with typically developing peers. METHODS: A purposive sample of 25 youths (13 with a physical disability; 12 typically developing) completed a 2-week weather journal and photographs in two Canadian cities during winter. These data were used to guide semi-structured interviews with participants. RESULTS: Youths with disabilities experienced many similar challenges in winter, such as health and safety concerns and accessibility issues, compared with typically developing youth - but to a greater extent. Youths with disabilities reported more challenges going outdoors during winter and negative psychosocial impacts, including loneliness and increased dependence, compared with peers without a disability. They also, however, described developing several adaptive strategies to cope with these challenges. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong need to remove physical and environmental barriers to facilitate the participation and inclusion of youth with disabilities in winter.

The impacts of distance to hospital on families with a child with a chronic condition.

Children with chronic conditions and their families face many similar challenges that can be stressful for the family including, daily caregiving activities, financial difficulties caused by unexpected expenses, and increased use of health services to treat and help manage the condition. Many of these families, in addition to facing daily caregiving responsibilities, must travel substantial distances to access some of the necessary aspects of their child's health care. In this study, the Burke et al. (1994-1996) data of repeatedly hospitalized children and their families are used to explore a geographical dimension of family impact, distance. Outcome measures from the Feetham Family Functioning Survey and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress are analyzed using exploratory and multivariate analysis. Results show that distance to hospital plays a role in the two areas of family life regarding relationships within the immediate family, and issues surrounding the ability to maintain the child in the family home. The implications of the results for family, health care intervention, and government policies and guidelines are discussed.