A systematic framework to classify physical activity research for individuals with spina bifida

Abstract Background Identifying the types of research conducted in the area of physical activity (PA) for the spina bifida (SB) population is important in order to move research forward to increase PA behaviors and improve health. The Behavioral Epidemiological Framework is a one way to systematically classify PA and SB literature by organizing research into one of five phases: phase 1 research links behaviors to health, phase 2 includes research focused on developing methods for measuring behavior, phase 3 research identifies factors that influence behavior, phase 4 research evaluates interventions to change the behavior, and phase 5 studies translates research into practice. Objective To systematically classify PA research for individuals with SB by using the Behavioral Epidemiologic Framework and to identify where the research has focused. Method An audit of the literature was conducted using search engines and keywords related to PA and SB. Inter-rater reliability was established between the research team coding articles based on established inclusion criteria. Finally, literature was categorized into one of the five phases. Results Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were categorized. Forty three percent of the articles were categorized in phase 1, 21% in phase 2, 32% in phase 3, 4% in phase 4, and zero in phase 5. Conclusion The majority of articles are in phase 1, indicating that PA and SB research is still in early stages of development. Future research needs to move beyond phase 1 to examine factors that affect PA behaviors and ways to increase PA behaviors in the SB population.