Physical activity providers should reach out to supporters of disabled people through effective marketing to boost their participation, according to a new study.

Supporting Me To Be Active, published by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS), emphasised the importance of the relationships disabled people have with close friends, family and carers and the effect they have on their physical activity.

According to the report, eight in 10 supporters stated that they have “some level of influence in encouraging disabled people to be active”.

The study found that the most common type of support given, by six in 10 supporters, was motivation and inspiration, and providing disabled people with new ideas to be active or offering logistical support to facilitate participation.

As a consequence, the EFDS – alongside the English Learning Disability Sports Alliance (ELDSA) and Sport England – has suggested that providers think about how they communicate their message to the supporters to make them confident that the physical activity they offer is suitable and beneficial for the disabled person, or people, close to them.

Information for supporters, in terms of access and relevance, can influence their encouragement and ease their concerns about safety, facilities and environment.

The report revealed that supporters feel more secure with marketing imagery that does not present the physical activity as “too intense”, while professional carers find images of overt disability more appealing in order to “digest” the information quicker. Parents and guardians are more likely to prefer subtle imagery.

Language used is also important, with the word “inclusive” deemed to present an “inconsistent message”, while imagery should be used alongside wording to illustrate meaning.

Barry Horne, chief executive for EFDS, said: “Tapping into new markets, like supporters, could help providers to reach and include more disabled people.

“Increasingly, within our research, disabled people talk about the importance of support systems in order to be active,” he added. “This is often the people around disabled people and this report highlights supporters’ influence in making active lives possible.”