Kids with heart disease hit the court

UOttawa researcher investigates inclusivity in after-school sports

That’s why Angelica jumped at the opportunity to research physical literacy programs for kids with CHD through a Mitacs internship.  She partnered with Sportball, a non-competitive sports education organization that offers methodology-based instruction for kids aged 16 months to 12 years old. Sportball programs across Canada work on developing children’s physical literacy while focusing on important sport, social, and motor skills.

“Historically, doctors were more likely to restrict kids with heart disease from playing sports. But with changes to recent guidelines, they’re now focusing on encouraging them to be active,” says Angelica, who worked with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity research team at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Despite new research and updated guidelines, many children and their families are still unsure about which sports are safe for them to participate in, with the fear that vigorous physical activity could aggravate potentially life-threatening symptoms.

To address this gap, Angelica engaged with kids and coaches at Sportball to better understand how their programs could work with the unique concerns of kids with CHD. She then made a series of recommendations to Sportball on how their existing programs can be even more inclusive for kids with heart disease. 

“Sportball is for everyone,” says Jason D’Rocha, Director of Training and Development at Sportball. “However, most of our participants present with normal physical development. Angelica’s research will allow us to provide our coaches with more comprehensive training to work with children with additional needs and to deliver programs that take into consideration participants’ strengths, limitations and cardiovascular health.”

Working with Angelica was an opportunity for us to evaluate and improve all of our services and to make sure that they can be more inclusive for everyone,” concludes Jason.

For Angelica, this project was just the beginning. She’s now started a PhD and will expand her research into clinical settings with other community partners. “It’s so important to provide opportunities for kids with CHD and other limitations to be included in sports so that they, too, can have the many health benefits of an active lifestyle.“

Mitacs Team

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