Intervention to Improve Running and Physical Activity Participation in Children With Generalised Joint Hypermobility: A Feasibility Study.

Satisfaction with the running intervention was rated between 6.5 and 9 out of 10 by participants, parents, and staff.

• Satisfaction ratings were used as a measure of acceptability.
• Ratings were collected from children, parents, and therapist/manager perspectives.
• This was part of a multi-domain feasibility assessment including acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, integration, and intervention efficacy.

There was high demand for the programme among survey respondents.

• 155 of 175 survey respondents expressed interest in the programme.
• Of 24 participants invited, 10 were excluded and 6 declined, resulting in 8 participants enrolled.
• Eight children aged 10–15 years (two female) ultimately participated in the study.

Attendance at intervention sessions was high, with all participants attending at least 90% of sessions.

• All 8 enrolled children attended ≥90% of the weekly group running sessions over the 10-week programme.
• The intervention was completed according to protocol with only one minor adverse event reported.
• The home exercise programme (HEP) was completed at least twice per week by 62% of participants.

Participants and parents reported improved running technique and increased confidence in physical activity following the intervention.

• These outcomes were reported through semi-structured interviews with participants and parents.
• Semi-structured interviews also involved therapists and managers to explore multiple aspects of feasibility.
• Interventionists perceived the programme to fit well within the practice infrastructure and culture.

Leg stiffness improved and kinesiophobia was reduced following the 10-week intervention.

• These were among the physical and self-reported measures used to assess intervention efficacy as a feasibility domain.
• Kinesiophobia refers to a fear of movement or re-injury, which is relevant in children with symptomatic joint hypermobility.
• The study used both physical and self-reported measures across six feasibility domains: acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, integration, and intervention efficacy.

Cost was the main challenge identified by families and management regarding the practicality of the intervention.

• The intervention was described as 'well equipped but expensive to run.'
• The therapist-to-participant ratio was 1:3, contributing to higher delivery costs.
• In Australia, children with pgGJH do not receive funding support, making cost a significant barrier to access.

Children with symptomatic paediatric generalised joint hypermobility (pgGJH) have limitations in physical activity and participation, yet there is a lack of research to guide intervention.

• This gap in evidence motivated the feasibility study.
• In Australia, children with pgGJH do not receive funding support for intervention.
• The study was conducted in a private paediatric therapy clinic setting.