Globally 1.4 billion adults do not meet the recommended levels of 150-300 minutes a week of physical activity. Physical activity contributes towards the prevention of non-communicable diseases, functional and cognitive decline, disability, and improved quality of life.
The WHO has issued physical activity guidance that relates to people with disabilities and chronic conditions, but there are significant research gaps about these groups in low-and middle-income countries.
In Kathmandu, outdoor gym equipment has been installed in open spaces and parks to encourage physical activity. Our collaboration between Diverse Patterns, Kathmandu University School of Arts, and the Institute for Global Health will work with people with disabilities to explore what affects the use of outdoor gyms by people with disabilities in two wards in Kathmandu. Through this participatory action research we will engage designers and policy makers in a dialogue about the ways they could improve the accessibility of outdoor gyms.
Dates: September 2023- July 2024
Principal Investigator: Dr Joanna Morrison
Partners: Mr Sagar Prasai, Diverse Patterns
Dr Niraj Poudyal, Kathmandu University
Location: Nepal and London
