‘Sometimes I feel like dancing afterwards’: Exploring experiences of Pilates as a ‘return to sport’ intervention after the COVID-19 lockdown in UK adults with visual impairment

Objectives: People with visual impairment participate in less physical activity than sighted people, and may have been further affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown measures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of mat-based group Pilates as a possible ‘return to sport’ intervention for adults with visual impairment. Methods: A 10-month intervention of community-based instructor-led mat-based group Pilates sessions was conducted with 14 participants with visual impairment. Measures of quality of life and balance confidence were collected at the start and end of the intervention. In addition, qualitative surveys and participant interviews were conducted pre- and post-intervention to gather data about the participants views and lived experiences of participating in the session. Results: There were no statistically significant changes to overall quality of life or balance confidence over the 10-month intervention period, but participants started with good scores with limited scope for improvement. Participants scored lower on the environmental domain ( p = .042) after the intervention, which may be due to services struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels. Reflexive thematic analysis identified themes relating to becoming a community, (re)gaining competence, and developing independence with the intervention having a positive effect on both physical and mental health. Conclusions: Despite no quantifiable positive changes in balance confidence or quality of life, the qualitative analysis identified that the participants valued and benefitted from the intervention and found it helpful to their overall function as well as wellbeing and mental health. This suggests that mat-based group Pilates classes as a physical activity intervention is useful in this population and warrants further research.