Physical activity and the clinical management of chronic diseases in children who reside in rural and remote communities in BC’s Interior

Physical activity is a cornerstone of health and wellbeing for all children. This includes children who live with chronic conditions such as congenital heart disease and diabetes. Oftentimes, these children and their families have unanswered questions regarding the safety and importance of physical activity participation. This is partly because physical activity is not regularly discussed during clinical appointments with specialist doctors, as other clinical topics take priority.

In my research, I will work with children who live with chronic conditions, and their families, to better understand their physical activity behaviours and reasons for them. I will also work with clinical care providers to learn about their current practices and attitudes around physical activity promotion. I will then bring everybody together to develop and implement new approaches that can help children with chronic conditions to lead more active lives.