1 Cavallo, et al: Leisure in juvenile arthritis Personal non-commercial use only. The Journal of Rheumatology Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Participation in Leisure Activities among Canadian Children with Arthritis: Results from a National Representative Sample Sabrina Cavallo, Annette Majnemer, Barbara Mazer, Gevorg Chilingaryan, and Debbie Ehrmann Feldman ABSTRACT. Objective. To describe the level of participation in leisure activities among children and youth with arthritis, as well as to identify the sociodemographic (age, sex, family income), disease-related (functional limitations, disease duration, pain, medication use, child’s need for assistance), and contextual factors (use of rehabilitation services, proximity of local recreation facilities, cost of activities) that may be associated. Methods. Data from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) 2006, a Canadian postcensus survey, was analyzed. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were applied to examine the associations between the sample’s level of participation in leisure activities, and sociodemographic, disease-related, and contextual characteristics. Results. In Canada in 2006, an estimated 4350 children ranging in age from 5 to 14 years were living with arthritis. Fifty-six percent of parents reported that arthritis restricted their child’s participation in leisure activities. Bivariate analysis showed that the availability of local recreational facilities, the affordability of activities, and the child not requiring any assistance were all associated (modified Bonferroni correction α < 0.005) with greater participation in various types of leisure activities. Multiple linear regressions showed that higher family income (β 0.47, 95% CI 0.09, 0.85) and greater perceived pain (β 0.59, 95% CI 0.07, 1.10) were positively associated with involvement in informal leisure. Conclusion. Our findings underline the importance of considering contextual factors in developing treatment plans aimed at improving participation in leisure activities among children with arthritis. Future longitudinal studies targeting children living with arthritis could provide pertinent information on participation over fluctuations in disease status. (J Rheumatol First Release May 15 2015; doi:10.3899/jrheum.131377) Key Indexing Terms: JUVENILE ARTHRITIS LEISURE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION DETERMINANTS From the Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, École de Santé Publique, and the École de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal; The Montreal Children’s Hospital; McGill University Health Center; The Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique Université de Montréal; The Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Montréal Métropolitain, Institut de Réadaptation de Montréal; The School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University; The Public Health Department, Montréal; The Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, Laval, Québec, Canada. Sabrina Cavallo was supported by a graduate training award from the MENTOR program (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ); Debbie Ehrmann Feldman was supported by a senior career award from FRSQ. Analyses for this manuscript were conducted at the Quebec Interuniversity Centre for Social Statistics (QICSS) of the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN). Services provided by the QICSS are possible through financial or in-kind support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Statistics Canada, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé, and Quebec universities. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the CRDCN or its partners. Additional support from the Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique Université de Montréal. S. Cavallo, MSc, BSc(OT), Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University Health Center, Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique Université de Montréal, and Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Montréal Métropolitain, and the Institut de Réadaptation de Montréal; A. Majnemer, PhD, OT, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal Children’s Hospital, and McGill University Health Center; B. Mazer, PhD, BSc(OT), Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Montréal Métropolitain, Institut de Réadaptation de Montréal, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, and Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital; G. Chilingaryan, DMD, MPH, Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, and Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital; D. Ehrmann Feldman, PhD, PT, Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique Université de Montréal, Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Montréal Métropolitain, Institut de Réadaptation de Montréal, École de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal Children’s Hospital, and the Montreal Public Health Department. Address correspondence to D. Ehrmann Feldman, École de Réadaptation, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada. E-mail: debbie.feldman@umontreal.ca Accepted for publication March 3, 2015. www.jrheum.org Downloaded on January 15, 2022 from