Background: There is limited knowledge about facilitators and barriers to leisure activity participation for children with disabilities in Norway, which is needed to improve rehabilitation interventions. Aim: This study aims to explore the main facilitators and barriers for participation in leisure activities for children and youth with disabilities in Norway. Methods: Semi-structured group interviews with 31 parents, 20 healthcare professionals, and nine children with disabilities were conducted. Qualitative content analysis with thematic coding was used, and the model of factors affecting the participation of children with disabilities developed by King et al. was applied for further deductive analysis. Results: Child factors, as viewed by parents and professionals, worked primarily as barriers and tended to increase with the child’s age. The children themselves focussed on their own preferences, friendship and enjoyment as their main facilitators for participation. Most environmental and family factors worked both as facilitators and as barriers, with parental support as the most important facilitator. Differences between urban and rural areas in the availability and accessibility of activities were reported. Conclusion and significance: Knowledge from this study is important for the improvement of rehabilitation interventions that aim to increase participation in leisure activities for children and youth with disabilities.

The conceptualisation of participation is an ongoing discussion with importance for measurement purposes. The aim of this study was to explore the two subjective subdimensions of participation, inv...

Background: Children and youth with disabilities participate less in leisure activities than their nondisabled peers. Increasing participation is a primary goal of rehabilitation interventions. However, valid measures that include the individual’s perspectives and facilitating and hindering factors for participation are lacking in the Norwegian setting. In this study, ActiveYou II, a self-report, web-based instrument under development, was tested to obtain item quality and applicability. Methods: Nine children with disabilities participated in cognitive interviews, testing a first set of ActiveYou II items. The verbal probe method for cognitive interviews was applied. Results: The children’s comprehension and responses through cognitive interviews improved the applicability and item quality of ActiveYou II. Item adjustments were made to the wording of the questions and response alternatives, and the number of response alternatives were decreased where appropriate. Conclusions: The use of cognitive interviews with children before performing further psychometric testing has been very useful in the development process of ActiveYou II. Adjustments of the questions and response alternatives were made accordingly.

Regular physical activity is essential for physical and mental health, yet participation among Norwegian university students remains below nationally recommended levels. This study explored facilitators and barriers for physical activity among first-year students, using the COM-B model as a conceptual framework. Fifteen physically active first-year students from two higher education campuses in Bodø were interviewed in spring 2025, and the data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Analysis showed that students’ activity behaviours were shaped by a dynamic interaction between physical and psychological capabilities, particularly in relation to technical competence, previous injuries, and self-regulation strategies. Opportunity-related factors—such as time constraints, financial limitations, commuting distance, and access to facilities—substantially influenced students’ ability to maintain regular activity, while social support from friends, family, and peers functioned as an important facilitator. Motivation emerged through a mixture of automatic processes—including stress reduction, enjoyment, and habits—and reflective processes such as goal-setting and health-oriented decision-making. For students in physically demanding study programmes, professional identity and body-related expectations also contributed to their engagement. Overall, this study highlights the need for institutional strategies that simultaneously address structural, social, and psychological factors to support sustainable physical activity habits during the transition to university life.