MYERS: Effort Capacity and Choice: Investigating a Dynamic Model of Participation
Project Description:
The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research and the New Directions program within the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Montana propose a collaborative project to investigate the behavioral economics of effort and participation.
People with disabilities participate in most aspects of community living at lower rates than people without disabilities. Rehabilitation researchers and practitioners have made significant progress in conceptualizing and measuring participation, but the value of these static measures is unclear for understanding how personal factors (PF) and environmental factors (EF) affect the choice to participate (WHO, 2001). The complex interaction of PF (e.g., physical conditioning) and EF (e.g., bathroom design) may be reflected by the amount of effort it takes to participate in community life. We endeavor to extend our understanding of this interaction using a mixed methods study derived to examine a behavioral economics model of consumer choice and participation. First, we will conduct a quantitative study of two interventions aimed at reducing the effort required for community participation. Then, we will conduct a series of qualitative interviews to deepen our understanding of effort and participation.
We propose to randomly assign study participants from a population-based sampling frame into either a physical activity intervention to increase personal effort capacity, an environmental intervention to decrease the effort-cost required for bathing or a control group. We will use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to measure in situ effort and participation before and after the interventions. The EMA will have participants respond to brief (< 2 minutes) surveys eight times per day for one week about their current activity and effort required for the activity. Quantitative data analysis will focus on both traditional between subject outcomes of the experimental design and within subject analysis of variation in perceived effort and participation within and across days of the measurement period. In the qualitative study, we will use grounded theory to investigate how effort is associated with a broader range of PF, EF and choices to participate.
We anticipate results of this study will begin to illuminate how both environmental and personal factors affect participation through their impact on perceived effort. Indeed, with these results, we will continue to build an economic model of disability and participation that begins to specify the relationship between effort capacity, effort cost and participation choices. Development of this model will further rehabilitation and community living research and practice by providing a framework for helping individuals with disabilities and providers choose interventions that can improve participation outcomes. Knowledge translation activities will be tailored to consumer, practice and research audiences.
Keyword(s):
Effort capacity, community participation, Assistive equipment
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Assistive Technology, Other
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Legislators/Policy Makers
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Other
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional, National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
