Physical inactivity is a significant problem facing people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Roughly 50% do not engage in any leisure-time physical activity (PA), including exercise, sports, and other forms of PA. In 2011, researchers developed exercise guidelines for adults with SCI, which were updated in 2018. The 2018 international scientific SCI exercise guidelines advise a lower duration of total aerobic exercise (90 min/week) than the amount recommended for the general U.S. population (150 min/week). Information about the guidelines and how they differ from those for the general population has not reached rehabilitation clinicians and people with SCI living in the U.S. The messaging used to communicate PA guidelines matters because they influence whether the guidelines are perceived as relevant, meaningful, and possible to achieve. Individuals with SCI experience PA in a way that is unique from individuals without disabilities; thus, the messaging used to communicate the guidelines to individuals with SCI must be tailored. Without effective communication of the guidelines, people with SCI will remain physically inactive and suffer from preventable secondary health problems.
In this study, we are developing and testing tailored messaging of the SCI exercise guidelines to maximize their use among providers and people with SCI. First, qualitative interviews will be conducted with 15-20 SCI rehabilitation providers and 15-20 individuals with lived SCI experience to (1) understand general knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding PA after SCI and (2) explore participants’ reactions to the current SCI exercise guidelines. Information from the interviews will then be used to develop tailored messages to communicate the SCI exercise guidelines to people with SCI and their providers. Last, we will explore the receptivity of the tailored messaging among 15-20 individuals with SCI using individual interviews. The tailored messaging developed as a result of this project will ensure that providers and people with SCI receive information about the guidelines in a way that is necessary to promote PA.