Quality of life and health among severely disabled persons after participation in Team Twin - an assisted recreational running program: A 16-week quasi-experimental single-arm study

There is limited research on the health benefits of recreational sports for adults with severe physical disabilities. The Danish Team Twin has introduced an inclusive push-assisted running activity that involves both people with and without disabilities running together using specially designed running chairs. This study aimed to determine if participation in this activity could improve quality of life (QoL) and physical, mental and social health outcomes. The study was conducted over 16 weeks, with one weekly push-assisted running session averaging 77 minutes each. A single-arm pre-post design was applied. Health outcomes and participation perception were collected through self-reporting questionnaires (QoL, bio-psycho-social health, and programme experiences) and clinical examinations (cardiometabolic markers and body composition). The data were analysed using general mixed models and descriptive statistics. Twenty-one individuals completed an average of 10 push-assisted running sessions over the study period. The results showed no statistically significant difference in the primary outcome of QoL (p = .42) or other health-related outcomes. However, participants perceived the programme positively and reported experiencing joy, social belonging, motivation, and engagement. In conclusion, while there was no association between participation in Team Twin and QoL and health outcomes, the reported outcomes generally resembled the background population at baseline and follow-up. Future research is warranted to investigate participants’ experiences to identify aspects of participation-related health and well-being.