Start Date
17-6-2025 12:30 PM
End Date
17-6-2025 2:00 PM
Abstract
Introduction
Regular physical activity, including dance, is known to improve overall health and well-being, particularly for caregivers of individuals with disabilities (Champagne, 2024; Piercy et al., 2018). However, mothers of individuals with developmental disabilities often face challenges incorporating structured dance into their routines. This study aimed to explore Latina mothers' beliefs and experiences with dance, barriers and facilitators to dance participation, and their preferences for dance to help develop culturally tailored interventions.
Methodology
Situated within the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), this descriptive-qualitative study recruited Latina mothers (N = 12) of individuals with Developmental Disabilities through disability advocacy groups. Data collection comprised one-on-one interviews conducted in Spanish. Subsequently, the interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic line-by-line analysis with the support of NVivo 20 software (Vaismoradi et al., 2013).
Results
The findings suggested a general enthusiasm among Latina mothers of individuals with developmental disabilities for dance as a physical activity practice. However, participants face various barriers that limit their physical activity and dance participation including limited time, lack of programs tailored to their needs, and a lack of support. Proposed solutions to enhance their physical activity and dance participation included developing and implementing dance programs with childcare services in their community.
Conclusions
Despite the participant's positive attitudes towards dance as a form of physical activity and acknowledging the benefits of such practice, they highlighted the presence of persistent barriers to dance participation. These findings offer insights for practitioners and researchers into the development and implementation of future dance interventions that promote health and well-being through dance as an enjoyable form of physical activity engagement.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Champagne E. R. (2024). Caregiver Resilience and Dance/Movement Therapy: A Theoretical Review and Conceptual Model. Journal of applied gerontology: the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 43(3), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231210679
Piercy, K. L., Troiano, R. P., Ballard, R. M., Carlson, S. A., Fulton, J. E., Galuska, D. A., George, S. M., & Olson, R. D. (2018). The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 320(19), 2020–2028. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.14854
Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing & health sciences, 15(3),398–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12048
Recommended Citation
Montanez-Alicea, Nicole M. and Columna, Luis PhD, "Beliefs and Experiences of Latina Mothers of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities toward Dance as Physical Activity: A Qualitative Study" (2025). International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity and International Symposium on Physical Activity and Visual Impairment and Deafblindness. 36.
https://sword.cit.ie/isapa/2025/day2/36
Beliefs and Experiences of Latina Mothers of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities toward Dance as Physical Activity: A Qualitative Study
Introduction
Regular physical activity, including dance, is known to improve overall health and well-being, particularly for caregivers of individuals with disabilities (Champagne, 2024; Piercy et al., 2018). However, mothers of individuals with developmental disabilities often face challenges incorporating structured dance into their routines. This study aimed to explore Latina mothers' beliefs and experiences with dance, barriers and facilitators to dance participation, and their preferences for dance to help develop culturally tailored interventions.
Methodology
Situated within the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), this descriptive-qualitative study recruited Latina mothers (N = 12) of individuals with Developmental Disabilities through disability advocacy groups. Data collection comprised one-on-one interviews conducted in Spanish. Subsequently, the interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic line-by-line analysis with the support of NVivo 20 software (Vaismoradi et al., 2013).
Results
The findings suggested a general enthusiasm among Latina mothers of individuals with developmental disabilities for dance as a physical activity practice. However, participants face various barriers that limit their physical activity and dance participation including limited time, lack of programs tailored to their needs, and a lack of support. Proposed solutions to enhance their physical activity and dance participation included developing and implementing dance programs with childcare services in their community.
Conclusions
Despite the participant's positive attitudes towards dance as a form of physical activity and acknowledging the benefits of such practice, they highlighted the presence of persistent barriers to dance participation. These findings offer insights for practitioners and researchers into the development and implementation of future dance interventions that promote health and well-being through dance as an enjoyable form of physical activity engagement.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Champagne E. R. (2024). Caregiver Resilience and Dance/Movement Therapy: A Theoretical Review and Conceptual Model. Journal of applied gerontology: the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 43(3), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648231210679
Piercy, K. L., Troiano, R. P., Ballard, R. M., Carlson, S. A., Fulton, J. E., Galuska, D. A., George, S. M., & Olson, R. D. (2018). The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 320(19), 2020–2028. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.14854
Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing & health sciences, 15(3),398–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12048