Congratulations to Joanna Burdon, Occupational therapist and CHORAL pre-doctoral research fellow, for winning British Awssociation of Hand Therapists Best Poster prize at the combined BSSH/BAHT Autumn Meeting.
Poster Title: Patterns of participation in leisure and recreational activites in children and young people with brachial plexus birth palsy. A cross-sectional study.
Brachial plexus birth palsy (BPBP) is a condition that affects the movement and sensation in the upper limb with children often experiencing reduced function in selfcare, school and leisure activities. It is recognised that being physically active is important for children’s health and wellbeing, however no known research has been conducted on physical activity levels in children with BPBP living in the UK.
The Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment questionnaire was used to assess children’s participation levels in leisure and recreational activities. The results showed that children with BPBP participate in leisure activities that are significantly less diverse and with less intensity than typically developing children, with most differences found in physical activities. The next stage of the research is to run focus groups with children with BPBP and their families to understand some of the barriers and facilitators to being physically active.
Winning the British Association of Hand Therapists best poster prize provides Joanna with recognition from colleagues working her field, of the importance of the area of research, raising its profile nationally. The aim, supported by Joanna’s CHORAL fellowship is to apply for a doctoral fellowship to co-design an intervention package to help children with BPBP be more physically active and improve their overall health and wellbeing
Click here to see Joanna’s prize winning poster.
