Examining Physical Activity for Individuals With Disabilities Through a Social Justice Lens

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Martin E. Block ◽  
Abby Fines
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Active Part ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
Physically Active

Many individuals with disabilities are not physically active. Part of inactivity can be explained by the person’s disability. However, inactivity also may be the result of inequities, attitudes, and misconceptions by physical activity (PA) providers that makes it difficult for those with disabilities to successfully participate in sport, recreation, and fitness pursuits. The purpose of this paper is to examine disability through a social justice lens with specific reference to PA. Concepts of ableism, social justice, and how disability is defined will be explored with specific examples from PA. We conclude with suggestions on how to make PA providers aware of ableism, their biases, and how they define and view disability. This awareness will hopefully lead to changes in the willingness of PA providers to welcome those with disabilities into their programs and provide accommodations so that people with disabilities will be able to access PA.

scholarly journals The Perception of Physical Activity and Sports Professionals’ Competence in Working With Individuals With Disabilities in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Gutiérrez-Conejo ◽  
María-Dolores González-Rivera ◽  
Antonio Campos-Izquierdo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Individuals With Disabilities ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceived Importance ◽  
And Training

The importance of professional competence lies in the effective application of job-oriented knowledge and skills which guarantee one’s successful adaptation to the work. This study analyzes the perception of the importance of physical activity and sports (PAS) professionals’ competence in working with individuals with disabilities in Spain. As a descriptive quantitative study, face-to-face interviews were conducted through a survey to extract the data. The sample consisted of 214 PAS professionals working with people with disabilities. According to the results, the analyzed constituents of professional competence are important for adequate performance (>65%), with the exception of competences of leadership and use of new technologies (<50%). It was also found that the perceived importance of each element of professional competence varies according to age, experience and training. Based on the obtained results, the degree of importance of each constituent of professional competence and its implication for the access of people with disabilities to high-quality physical activity and sports services was determined.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity practice of people with disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 240-251
Author(s):  
Márcia Greguol ◽  
Cristiana Conti ◽  
Bruno Marson Malagodi ◽  
Bruna Barboza Seron ◽  
Elaine Cappellazzo Souto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
World Population ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Healthy Habits ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Impact

The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 has profoundly changed the daily life of most of the world population. People with disabilities have been particularly affected by these changes, which often have accentuated their isolation and marginalization also due to greater difficulties in accessing healthcare services. People with disabilities have also been impacted in relation to their ability to participate in physical activity with even more adverse consequences for their quality of life and health. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity practice of people with disabilities and to understand the changes that caregivers have perceived for the participation in physical activity of this specific population. It emerged that, regardless of the type of disability, people with this condition experienced drastic reductions in their physical activity levels during the pandemic and in most cases did not have access to any type of remote guidance. Furthermore, a higher prevalence of sedentary behavior and negative changes in eating habits have been reported by the caregivers, highlighting the need for specific strategies and initiatives for people with disabilities to maintain healthy habits and a physically active lifestyle.

Physical Activity, Weight, and Fitness

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Cardiovascular Fitness ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Downward Spiral

Physical activity, body weight, and fitness are often, but not always, related. This chapter discusses research that has examined all three areas. People with disabilities face many individual, social, and environmental barriers to being physically active. As a result, people with disabilities can have physical activity levels that are, like able-bodied people, quite dismal. Research examining the lack of physical activity among people with impairments is quite robust as it spans ethnicity, disability type, physical activity type, and assessment method. Partly as a function of a lack of physical activity, people with disabilities tend to have higher levels of overweight and obesity compared to able-bodied people. Additionally, a lack of physical activity contributes to a lack of muscular strength and endurance and inferior cardiovascular fitness. As a result, a pattern of increasing weight gain and decreasing fitness make activities of daily living more difficult. In turn, further formal and informal physical activity become more difficult and a vicious downward spiral develops that is difficult to break, particularly for older and unhealthy individuals with disabilities.

scholarly journals Exploration of How People with Mobility Disabilities Rate Community Barriers to Physical Activity

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Vasudevan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Fitness Center ◽  
Perceptions Of Safety ◽  
Barriers To Physical Activity

Background and Significance: People with mobility disabilities (such as people who use a cane, walker, or wheelchair) are less likely to be physically active. Previous studies have identified community barriers to physical activity. However, these studies did not measure how people with mobility disabilities rated community barriers to physical activity. This study examined how people with mobility disabilities rate community barriers and explore relationships between these barriers and engagement in physical activity. Methods: Study participants (n = 150) were recruited from an accessible fitness center and an independent living center. Participants completed the Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with Mobility Impairments and the Physical Activity and Disability Survey. Results: The most frequently reported community barriers were excessive crime or fear of crime (40.7%) and cars driving too fast (40.7%). The highest rated barrier was lack of accessible transportation to a fitness center, with a median rating of 5 out of 5. There was a significant, negative correlation between strength exercise and built environment and perceptions of safety. There was no significant correlation between aerobic exercise and built environment and perceptions of safety. Conclusion: People with disabilities face community barriers which contribute to a disparity in opportunities to be physically active. Future intervention studies are needed to determine whether physical activity rates change after improvements are made to make physical activity more accessible for people with disabilities.

Pre-eminence of Moderate to Robust Physical Activity in Battling COVID-19: A Narrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 934-937
Author(s):  
Tasneem M. Lakkadsha ◽  
Kiran Kumar ◽  
Waqar M. Naqvi ◽  
Pratik Phansopkar
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
The Other ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Being There ◽  
History Books

In January 2020, we met with COVID-19 (aka SARS-Co-V-2 and/or Corona virus) on our news channels all the way from china. Little did we know that it would shake up our lives in such a manner that we had heard only in a movie or read in history books. Currently we are all in some sort of lockdown, be it in hospital/home or in our minds. Being there, most of us are facing certain kind of misery, be it emotional, mental, physical or social. To be expansive the most common stresses that have been addressed by people on mass media platform are feeling of depression and isolation caused by being away from family and friends, some are complaining of losing their enthusiasm, some of gaining weight, some of losing it and many more. Going through a pandemic is also helping people in some or the other way, one of which is being concerned about their health and habits to keep themselves fit and away from serious comorbidities which can stem out from physical inactivity and heightened stress levels. There are many ways to stay fit at home without any complex gym equipment, but far less is known about it. Thus, an understanding of methods through which one can become physically active with least complexity, easy availability, and appropriate utilization is need of the hour.

Investigating a Message Tailoring Strategy to Improve Efficacy of Activity Promotion Interventions: A Study Protocol (Preprint)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Sadat Rezai ◽  
Catherine Marie Burns
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Message Framing ◽  
Physical Activity Behaviour ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Regulatory Focus Theory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Focus Theory

BACKGROUND There have been challenges in designing effective behaviour-change interventions, including those that promote physical activity. One of the key reasons is that many of those systems do not account for individuals’ characteristics and their psychological differences, which affect their approach toward adopting target behaviour. For decades, tailoring has been used as a common technique to effectively communicate health-related information to persuade people to follow a healthier living. However, its use in the design of persuasive technologies has not been adequately investigated. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research is to explore the effects of tailoring when it is grounded in Higgins’ regulatory focus theory. METHODS A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies has been proposed to examine how individuals’ intention to become more physically active would be affected by receiving health messages that may or may not match their self-regulatory orientation. The research would also subjectively, as well as objectively, measures the changes in individuals’ physical activity level. RESULTS The anticipated completion date for the consequent studies is December 2016. CONCLUSIONS In this article, the importance of refining message-framing research questions and a stepwise approach to develop an efficient experimental design to examine a new tailoring strategy is discussed. A set of small studies is proposed that would inform the best approach to design the principal experiment. The findings of principal experiment will provide a deeper insight into the relationship between regulatory-focus theory, persuasive message construction, and individuals’ physical activity behaviour.

scholarly journals Impact of Work and Recreational Physical Activity on Prediabetes Condition among U.S. Adults: NHANES 2015–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1378
Author(s):  
Lenin Pazmino ◽  
Wilmer Esparza ◽  
Arian Ramón Aladro-Gonzalvo ◽  
Edgar León
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Recreational Physical Activity ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Hba1c Test ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
The Impact

More minutes of physical activity (PA) accumulated during a day are associated with a lower risk of diabetes mellitus type 2. However, it is less known if distinct dimensions of PA can produce a different protective effect in the prevention of prediabetes. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of work and recreational PA on prediabetes among U.S. adults during the period 2015–2016 using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Individuals (n = 4481) with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test values of 5.7% to 6.4% were included. A logistic regression multivariate-adjusted analysis was conducted to estimate the association between the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of prediabetes, with work and recreational PA. The prevalence of prediabetes among U.S. adults was lower in physically active individuals both at work (~24%) and recreational (~21%) physical activities compared to individuals who were not physically active (27 to 30%). Individuals lacking practice of recreational PA had a high risk of prediabetes (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.080 to 1.466). PA may be a protective factor for prediabetes conditions depending on gender, age, ethnic group, waist circumference, and thyroid disease.

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