Occupational Time Use among People with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Living in the Community: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Time use is an important issue worldwide. It is the process of choosing activities for an individual. “Time Use Patterns” are the activities that are performed in a day-to-day life. Meaningful time use provides an indicator of quality of life and is a key area of interest to occupational therapists. Time use is mandatory when a traumatic event occurs that can change lifestyle. Therefore, understanding time use for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) helps occupational therapists to design interventions in a way that the person can perform routine occupations and become a manpower for society following rehabilitation. Aim: This study aimed to find out how people with SCI in the community use their time in day-to-day life and the temporal activity patterns of individuals with SCI in the community. Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional quantitative design. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey among 116 participants who completed their rehabilitation services from the CRP. The Modified Occupational Questionnaire (MOQ) was used to determine time use among people with SCI. SPSS 20 version was used to conduct the descriptive analysis and crosstabulation. Results: According to the findings, individuals with SCI spend an average of 9.0 hours resting, 7.5 hours working, and 5.0 hours on self-care, 3.0 works on unpaid work, housework, and leisure activities (chilling/doing nothing). Additionally, 2.0 hours are spent on recreation or leisure, while 1.5 hours are spent on both studying and travelling. One hour is dedicated to caring for others, playing with children, participating in sports, and socialising. In summary, people with SCI spent most of their time in resting and least of their time in caring for others, playing with children, participating in sports, and socialising. Although it seems that they spent less time in working than the rest, it is close to the standard working time as suggested by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Conclusion: The study contributed to a better understanding of the time use of individuals with SCI. By identifying the time usage patterns of individuals with SCI living in the community, the study can raise awareness about time management among people with SCI in Bangladesh and how occupational therapists can empower them during rehabilitation for better time use in different occupations in the community. Keywords: Time use, Spinal Cord Injury, Community, Disability.