Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Equine-assisted intervention to improve perceived value of everyday occupations and quality of life in people with lifelong neurological disorders : A prospective controlled study

Pálsdóttir, Anna María LU orcid ; Gudmundsson, Marie LU and Grahn, Patrik (2020) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(7).
Abstract

People with neurological disorders suffer from poor mobility, poor balance, fatigue, isolation and monotonous everyday activities. Studies show that equine-assisted interventions can improve their mobility and balance, but could these kinds of interventions also increase participants’ activity repertoire and self-assessed health, and reduce their fatigue? The study was conducted as a prospective, controlled study with three cohorts followed for one year: Intervention group (n = 14), control group Passive (n = 29), and control group Active (n = 147). Participants in the study were affected by neurological disease or injury that limited their opportunities for an active everyday life. The intervention group lacked regular activities... (More)

People with neurological disorders suffer from poor mobility, poor balance, fatigue, isolation and monotonous everyday activities. Studies show that equine-assisted interventions can improve their mobility and balance, but could these kinds of interventions also increase participants’ activity repertoire and self-assessed health, and reduce their fatigue? The study was conducted as a prospective, controlled study with three cohorts followed for one year: Intervention group (n = 14), control group Passive (n = 29), and control group Active (n = 147). Participants in the study were affected by neurological disease or injury that limited their opportunities for an active everyday life. The intervention group lacked regular activities outside the home before the intervention, which consisted of riding once a week, led by a certified therapist. Control group Passive lacked regular activities outside the home, while control group Active had several activities outside the home per week. Primary outcome measures were activity repertoire measured with Occupational Value Assessment questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were global self-assessed health measured with Euro Qol-VAS and fatigue measured with Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire. The intervention group’s activity repertoire and self-assessed health increased significantly compared to both baseline and the control groups. Equine-assisted interventions could help to improve the perceived value of everyday occupations and quality of life, as well as break isolation and increase the activity repertoire of people with neurological disorders.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Animal assisted interventions, Cerebral palsy, Disability, Equine-assisted therapy, Horseback riding, MS, Neurorehabilitation, Occupational value, Quality of life, Stroke
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
17
issue
7
article number
2431
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85083023066
  • pmid:32260047
ISSN
1661-7827
DOI
10.3390/ijerph17072431
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Funding Information: The project started in 2012 and took place in the county of Dalarna, which is located in the central part of Sweden, northwest of Stockholm. The intervention included four riding schools in four towns in Dalarna. The goal of the intervention was to help people with neurological disorders to increase their access to equine-assisted interventions within the existing system of public health work and healthcare, and this goal is met today. The project was run by the Neuro Association, with the support of the Swedish Equestrian Federation, the Dalarna County Council and the municipalities of Dalarna. Funding Information: Funding: This project was supported by grants from the Swedish Inheritance Fund, the Swedish Postcode Foundation, and the Swedish Neuro Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the author.
id
6af9d58e-e58e-4f9d-b9f9-51d17a6b3a78
date added to LUP
2022-11-18 15:39:13
date last changed
2024-06-27 17:31:01
@article{6af9d58e-e58e-4f9d-b9f9-51d17a6b3a78,
  abstract     = {{<p>People with neurological disorders suffer from poor mobility, poor balance, fatigue, isolation and monotonous everyday activities. Studies show that equine-assisted interventions can improve their mobility and balance, but could these kinds of interventions also increase participants’ activity repertoire and self-assessed health, and reduce their fatigue? The study was conducted as a prospective, controlled study with three cohorts followed for one year: Intervention group (n = 14), control group Passive (n = 29), and control group Active (n = 147). Participants in the study were affected by neurological disease or injury that limited their opportunities for an active everyday life. The intervention group lacked regular activities outside the home before the intervention, which consisted of riding once a week, led by a certified therapist. Control group Passive lacked regular activities outside the home, while control group Active had several activities outside the home per week. Primary outcome measures were activity repertoire measured with Occupational Value Assessment questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were global self-assessed health measured with Euro Qol-VAS and fatigue measured with Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire. The intervention group’s activity repertoire and self-assessed health increased significantly compared to both baseline and the control groups. Equine-assisted interventions could help to improve the perceived value of everyday occupations and quality of life, as well as break isolation and increase the activity repertoire of people with neurological disorders.</p>}},
  author       = {{Pálsdóttir, Anna María and Gudmundsson, Marie and Grahn, Patrik}},
  issn         = {{1661-7827}},
  keywords     = {{Animal assisted interventions; Cerebral palsy; Disability; Equine-assisted therapy; Horseback riding; MS; Neurorehabilitation; Occupational value; Quality of life; Stroke}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{7}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{Equine-assisted intervention to improve perceived value of everyday occupations and quality of life in people with lifelong neurological disorders : A prospective controlled study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072431}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph17072431}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}