When one cannot self: movement through others has an effect

It is well documented that being physically active, staying active and feeling part of a community is crucial to one's physical and mental health. But what do you do if you can't move by your own power?

The research project When Movement Moves has evaluated the initiatives Team Twin and Cycling Without Age. Here volunteers run or cycle with people with disabilities and nursing home residents, respectively, precisely with the aim of improving the participants' quality of life.

“People with disabilities or disabilities may have difficulty participating in physical and social activities and may therefore miss out on the positive health effects associated with these activities. Therefore, it is important to become more aware of whether and if so how activities in Team Tvilling and Cycling Without Age increase the quality of life. This is knowledge that can be used to develop interventions to improve the quality of life for people with movement problems,” says Professor and Director of the Danish Department of Public Health, Morten Hulvej Rod, who is part of the steering committee of When Movement Moves.

In the project, the researchers measured whether participants in Team Twin and Cycling without Age achieved an improved quality of life during a project period of approximately 16 weeks. Also, various aspects of physical, mental and social health have been investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively.

In the study, 21 participants with disabilities participated in Team Twin, while 52 nursing home residents participated in Cycling Without Age.

‍Taking a break from everyday life
‍The study shows that participants in Cycling Without Age had statistically significantly improved their quality of life. Also, participants' mood increased immediately after the bike rides from 3.7 to 4.7, measured by a scale of 0 to 5.Despite the fact that there was no measurable effect on participants' quality of life in Team Twin, virtually all participants (95 percent) expressed that they enjoyed being part of the activities and felt recognized, while 79 percent felt they could express an important part of themselves when participating.

“The results show that participants highly value the running and cycling trips because of the social aspect. At the same time, the trips provide a break from everyday life and a sense of normalcy,” explains Morten Hulvej Rod.

‍Make a difference
‍It is not only people with disabilities who benefit positively from the activities of Team Twin and Cycling without Age. The volunteers, the relatives and the nursing home staff also benefit from them. For example, the volunteers express that they have fun and enjoy being with the participants, as well as feeling that they make a difference.

“At the same time, the relatives in Team Tvilling find that the activities give them an opportunity to meet and share challenges and concerns with other relatives, while the caregivers find that the bike tours free up more time for other residents,” explains Morten Hulvej Rod.

When Movement Moves is carried out in collaboration with the TrygFondens Center for Active Health and is supported by the Bevica Foundation and the Health Foundation.

Read the results in the report here