The relationship between physical activity facility proximity and leisure-time physical activity in persons with spinal cord injury

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and common risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes in community-dwelling adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). LTPA was measured using the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with SCI in 76 men and women with chronic (≥1 year) paraplegia or tetraplegia, living in or near Hamilton, Ontario. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body composition (fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM)), blood pressure, and biochemical data were collected. Thirty-seven percent (n = 28 participants) were inactive, reporting no LTPA whatsoever, and were compared with an equal-sized group consisting of the most active study participants (≥25 min of LTPA per day). After adjusting for significant covariates, BMI (18.7%), %FM (19.4%), and C-reactive protein (143%) were all lower, and %FFM was higher (7.2%), in active participants (all p ≤ 0.05). Ten percent of active participants vs. 33% of inactive participants were insulin resistant (p = 0.03). Waist circumference (17.6%) and systolic blood pressure (15.3%) were lower in active vs. inactive participants with paraplegia (both p ≤ 0.05), but not tetraplegia. In conclusion, greater daily LTPA is associated with lower levels of selected CVD and type 2 diabetes risk factors in individuals living with SCI. Whether this relationship translates into a lower incidence of these chronic diseases has yet to be determined.

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Risky business: The effects of an individualized health information intervention on health risk perceptions and leisure time physical activity among people with spinal cord injury

Disability and Health Journal ◽

10.1016/j.dhjo.2010.12.001 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 165-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Rebecca L. Bassett ◽

Kathleen A. Martin Ginis

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Health Risk ◽

Health Information ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Risky Business

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Participation in moderate-to-vigorous leisure time physical activity is related to decreased visceral adipose tissue in adults with spinal cord injury

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2017-0304 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 139-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chelsea A. Pelletier ◽

Maryam Omidvar ◽

Masae Miyatani ◽

Lora Giangregorio ◽

B. Catharine Craven

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Adipose Tissue ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease ◽

Post Injury ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Visceral Adipose

Increased visceral adiposity places individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. The purpose of this study was to identify if people with chronic SCI who participate in any moderate- to vigorous-intensity leisure time physical activity (LTPA) have lower visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area compared with those who report none. Participants included 136 adult men (n = 100) and women (n = 36) with chronic (mean (±SD) 15.6 ± 11.3 years post-injury) tetraplegia (n = 66) or paraplegia (n = 70) recruited from a tertiary rehabilitation hospital. VAT area was assessed via whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using a Hologic densitometer and the manufacturer’s body composition software. Moderate-to-vigorous LTPA was assessed using the Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with SCI (LTPAQ-SCI) or the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with SCI (PARA-SCI). Summary scores were dichotomized into any or no participation in moderate-to-vigorous LTPA to best represent the intensity described in current population-specific physical-activity guidelines. Data were analyzed using univariate and multiple regression analyses to identify the determinants of VAT. Overall, the model explained 67% of the variance in VAT area and included time post-injury, age-at-injury, android/gynoid ratio, waist circumference, and moderate-to-vigorous LTPA. Participation in any moderate-to-vigorous LTPA was significantly (95% confidence interval: –34.71 to –2.61, p = 0.02) associated with VAT after controlling for injury-related and body-composition correlates. Moderate-to-vigorous LTPA appears to be related to lower VAT area, suggesting potential for LTPA to reduce cardiometabolic disease risk among individuals with chronic SCI.

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