Analysis of physical activity level and body awareness of mothers of children with special needs

We aimed to analyze physical activity level and body awareness of mothers of children with physical disability and to compare with mothers without a disabled child. A total of 102 participants including 51 mothers with a disabled child and 51 mothers without a disabled child were included (average age 38.59 +/- 5.98). Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) were used as data collection tools. It was found that physical activity levels and body awareness of the mothers with a disabled child were lower than mothers without a disabled child. In conclusion, during rehabilitation of children with physical disability, mothers should become a part of the treatment, their participation in physical activity programs and body awareness training should be encouraged.