This project has its starting point in a dance class with 14 people with Parkinson’s Disease who participated in Dance for Parkinson’s Disease® (Dance for PD). PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with symptoms such as tremors, freezing, slowness of motion, and non-motor symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the dancers’ experiences of participating in Dance for PD. The study was designed with a qualitative structure (framework). Data collection included diary entries after every dance session and, finally, two focus group interviews. All data were analyzed with thematic analysis. Three themes from all the data emerged: Maintaining everyday life, Working with health conditions, and Transformation to a happier life. The findings suggest that Dance for PD can be a complement to treatment. Attending the dance classes was an important activity in the lives of the participants. The participants in Dance for PD experienced improved physical mobility and well-being, and through the dance they gained an increased confidence in their own abilities and dared to challenge other aspects of everyday life. The dance teacher’s pedagogy with varying music and movements adapted to the participants became important for the actual experience of the dance. The dance promoted social interactions, and the participants experienced togetherness. In the study, Community of Practice (CoP) serves as a lens for discussing the findings. © 2025 Elenita Forsberg, Kristina Ziegert, Lars Kristén.

Students with disabilities experience poorer overall health and engage less in physical activities.Although the school subject Physical Education (PE) should employ an inclusive approach, students with disabilities risk poorer conditions for participation compared to other students. Thus, the purpose of the study was to explore how students with and without disabilities and PE teachers perceive the PE subject and how inclusive teaching can be designed. Research in collaboration with two schools was conducted. 60 students aged 10-12 years and three teachers were included, using qualitative methods. The inclusive model Guiding Peers (GP) was applied in PE, in collaboration between researchers, teachers, and students. The focus of this paper is the interviews conducted with students and teachers, and how they perceived working with the GP model. Three themes emerged: joyful lessons, individual adaptations, and equalizing normative differences. By focusing on GP, inclusion was systematically implemented, involving students and teachers. Thus, the methodology supports students' and teachers' strategies to deliberately apply inclusion in PE. The project advances our understanding of critical elements that enable students with disabilities to obtain the necessary resources to engage in PE. The relationship between teacher-students and student-students becomes crucial to fostering a positive, inclusive social climate. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment and impacts daily life. There are benefits of physical activity for people who are affected with AMD; however, living with AMD is associated with lower levels of physical activity and social isolation. The aim of this study was to explore how older people with AMD in Sweden experienced participation in a 6-month empowerment-based physical activity intervention and how it influenced their physical abilities. Methods: The participants were nine individuals with AMD aged 70–87 years. The intervention comprised physical and social activities in a group twice a week and individual health coaching on three occasions. The study was based on an exploratory qualitative case study design. Results: The findings showed two themes: created meaningfulness in life and creative and playful ways to develop body movements. The findings also showed improved muscle strength after the intervention. Conclusions: The findings showed that participants had increased social connectedness, improved physical self-efficacy and physical ability, as well as improved muscle strength. The empowerment process of the intervention was appreciated by the participants and challenged them to participate in physical activity offered by the municipality for older individuals. © 2024 by the authors.

Introduction: Research has described improved health for persons with Parkinson's Disease (PD) who participate in dance classes. However, few studies focus on how relatives experience their life together with a partner who has PD and how the impact of Dance for Parkinson's Disease (DfPD) influences everyday life.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify and describe the impact of DfPD on subjective experiences of well-being and functioning in daily living as experienced by dancers and their relatives.

Methods: The study used a descriptive method design combining a questionnaire for the dancers at the end of the dance semester and focus group interviews with relatives during a national dance camp.

Results: Most of the dancers experienced DfPD as improving their balance, and both the dancers and relatives experienced increased joy and happiness in life. The results highlight health factors such as improved body movements and social interactions, which makes life easier and raises awareness of the importance of DfPD.

Conclusion: Dancers and relatives consistently experienced being part of a joyful and healthy exercise, testifying to the positive effects that DfPD has on subjective well-being and body functioning for persons with PD and their relatives. © 2024 The Authors

Children with disabilities engage less in physical activity and sports during their spare time compared to their peers without disabilities. Modern sports, contextual factors, and parents’ fear of discrimination have been discussed as barriers to participation. The aim of this study is to describe parents’ experiences of their child with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) participating in a PAP intervention. The intervention involved a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic (CAP), the Regional Sport Federation, and local sport clubs in the southwestern region of Sweden. A sample of 13 parents took part in semi-structured interviews, and qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. The analysis resulted in three main categories, including sub-categories. By being part of a collaboration, the parents experienced two different worlds coming together, the CAP and the sport world, and they were also aware of the collaboration’s organisation and need for resources. In growing with sports, the parents described that treating the children with respect involved learning sports from the child’s condition and creating a social space for them. Regarding individual motivation for participating in sports, the parents expressed that the children felt proud to be part of the PAP intervention and experienced a sense of belonging in the group with the other children. The study highlights perspectives for developing sports for all in local sport clubs and improving sports as part of the CAP care for children with NDD. © 2023 by the authors.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment. These impacts include loss of social activities, decreased functional independence, and reduced physical activity.

The purpose of the study was to explore the participants' experiences and meanings expressed by people with AMD participating in an empowerment-based intervention.

Methods: The study has an explorative design based on ethnographic observations and informal interviews during the Empowerment-Based Physical Activity Intervention (EPI). The intervention embraced empowerment as a process and adopted the reflective equilibrium community empowerment approach. The EPI was carried out over six months and comprised adapted physical activity and social activities twice a week—furthermore, individual health coaching on three occasions. Nine women and two men aged 70-87 years old with AMD in Sweden participated in EPI. Field notes of the observations were analysed using a thematic method with an abductive approach.

Findings: The analysis resulted in five themes: a) Feeling seen and included, b) Having a sense of security, c) Developing physical skills, d) Feeling meaningful and social connectedness, and e) Feeling increased motivation.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, EPI has been a resource for the participants' well-being and development. The findings also filled a gap in the research literature and may provide insights into the potential of creative supervised, adapted physical activity in groups, health coaching, and socialising.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment and impacts daily life. These impacts include loss of social activities, decreased functional independence, and reduced physical activity. This protocol aims to describe a prospective, mixed-methodology for studying a population with AMD before, during, and after an empowerment-based physical activity intervention (EPI). A study framework was also developed for EPI. The intervention will include 20 older individuals (age 65+ years) with AMD recruited in Sweden. The intervention period is six months and comprises adapted physical activity and social activities in a group twice a week and individual health coaching on three occasions. The quantitative pre-test and three follow-ups include physical functional tests, an accelerometer that monitors physical activity continuously for one week, and questionnaires. Individual and focus-group interviews and ethnographic observations will explore the experience of living with AMD and what it means to participate in the EPI for individuals with AMD. The chosen methodology offers a structured way for researchers to explore the experiences and factors that may provide insights into the potential of creative supervised, adapted physical activity in groups, health coaching, and socialising that are significant to enable well-being among older individuals with AMD. © 2022 by the authors.

Introduction: Childhood obesity is associated with cardiometabolic and psychosocial comorbidity, weight stigma, and premature adult mortality. Physical activity provides many health benefits for adolescents with obesity.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore what experiences adolescents who have or have had obesity between 13–18 years of age have from long-term participation in regular physical activity in a lifestyle intervention.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were performed with nine adolescents (five girls, four boys) ages 13–18 years who had been participating in physical activity in a regular way in this intervention. They had been participating for one to six years (average 2.8 years). Qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used to analyse the data.

Result: The adolescent’s experiences of regular physical activity in this intervention was divided into three categories: 1) to experience the joy of movement; 2) to experience influence of the group; 3) to experience personal development. An inclusive and accepting group increased positive feelings of participation and they experienced that they achieved weight loss, improved self-esteem, and generally felt better when they started to be physically active.

Conclusion: When adolescents who have or have had obesity are given the proper circumstances for physical activity, they experience it as fun and self-developing. It is important for adolescents to be allowed to be with friends with similar experiences and be among individuals they feel comfortable with and connected to. © 2023 The Author(s).

The upper secondary school for individuals with intellectual disability should prepare for an adult life as an active citizen with great self-determination and participation in democratic decision-making processes. The extent to which and in what way the schools work to prepare the students and develop their skills are likely of great importance for the students’ adult life. The purpose of the study was to increase the knowledge of how students with intellectual disability in Sweden are prepared for adulthood, with special focus on self-determination. Case studies on three schools were carried out through observations of decision-making processes and interviews with students and staff. The main findings consist of three different approaches to self-determination for students with intellectual disability: ‘Targeted and Conscious’, ‘Forward with Uncertainty’ and ‘Braking and Protecting’. Increased knowledge about, and analyses of, the processes that take place when young people with reduced decision-making capacity, due to intellectual disability, make decisions with the support of others are important. Implications underline the need to strengthen the awareness, knowledge and support of school staff when it comes to strengthening students’ decision-making capacity. The students with intellectual disability need to be equipped for a society where they as adults will be surrounded by choices and expectations of making decisions. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher risk of inactivity, and efforts to promote physical activity among this population have been limited. Physical activity on prescription (PAP) may be a suitable tool for motivating participation in physical activity among children with these diagnoses. However, PAP calls for synergy and partnership between health care and other sectors of the community. The aim of this study was to describe a health promotion partnership for physical activity targeting children with ASD or ADHD. Data were obtained through individual interviews with professionals at CAP (n = 11) and three focus-group interviews with coaches from local sports clubs. We used the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning as the theoretical framework and used qualitative content analysis as the method of analysis to study partnerships between professionals from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic (CAP) and coaches from local sport clubs. The findings demonstrate that the partnerships included both positive and negative processes. Although the two partners shared values regarding the project, such as working for a good cause for the children and seeing the potential in the collaboration, there were doubts about sharing common resources and uncertainties about the sustainability of the PAP project. Challenges remain and further research is needed into developing, monitoring and evaluating health promotion partnerships when promoting physical activity for all. © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.