TY - JOUR T1 - Participation in Leisure Activities among Canadian Children with Arthritis: Results from a National Representative Sample JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol DO - 10.3899/jrheum.131377 SP - jrheum.131377 AU - Sabrina Cavallo AU - Annette Majnemer AU - Barbara Mazer AU - Gevorg Chilingaryan AU - Debbie Ehrmann Feldman Y1 - 2015/05/15 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2015/05/11/jrheum.131377.abstract N2 - 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. ER -