# Leisure Participation of Taiwanese Families Raising Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities

## TL;DR

Taiwanese families with children who have developmental delays rely on neighborhood parks for leisure, but face barriers like poor access and low health literacy, which affect their ability to engage in inclusive activities.

## Contribution

The study introduces a health literacy framework to understand how personal and organizational factors influence leisure participation for families of children with developmental delays.

## Key findings

- Neighborhood parks are central to leisure participation but access is limited by distribution, finances, and social attitudes.
- Families with higher personal health literacy engage in more diverse leisure activities focused on children's development.
- Weak organizational health literacy restricts leisure opportunities and increases caregiver stress.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Neighborhood parks were central to families’ leisure participation, but access was constrained by uneven distribution, finances, and social attitudes.Both personal and organizational health literacy shaped how families navigated barriers and created leisure opportunities.

Neighborhood parks were central to families’ leisure participation, but access was constrained by uneven distribution, finances, and social attitudes.

Both personal and organizational health literacy shaped how families navigated barriers and created leisure opportunities.

What is the implication of the main finding?
Families sometimes understood leisure as supporting children’s developmental needs and readiness for school, not only as recreation.Strengthening inclusive infrastructure and coordinated community services can reduce inequities and foster participation.

Families sometimes understood leisure as supporting children’s developmental needs and readiness for school, not only as recreation.

Strengthening inclusive infrastructure and coordinated community services can reduce inequities and foster participation.

Background/Objectives: Leisure participation is vital for children’s development and family inclusion, yet families of children with developmental delays and disabilities face significant barriers. Guided by a health literacy framework, this study examined how personal and organizational health literacy shape access to inclusive leisure opportunities. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 caregivers of young children (aged 2 to 6 years) with developmental delays and disabilities. A qualitative content analysis was applied to identify family and environmental factors shaping leisure participation. Results: Families with stronger personal health literacy engaged in diverse leisure activities, prioritizing children’s development through park visits and structured home routines. In contrast, weak organizational health literacy—reflected in limited inclusive facilities and support systems—restricted opportunities, increased caregiver stress, and forced adaptations such as traveling farther or rescheduling activities. These barriers underscored families’ vulnerability to exclusion while also highlighting their resilience in navigating daily life. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that health literacy functions at both personal and organizational levels to shape leisure participation. Beyond identifying barriers, it shows that leisure is intertwined with developmental needs and school readiness. By applying a health literacy lens, the study contributes to understanding family dynamics in inclusive leisure and underscores the need for responsive community services and inclusive policies.