The physical activity scale for individuals with physical disabilities: development and evaluation

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Disability Studies
• Health Measurement

Background:

• Assessing physical activity in individuals with disabilities is crucial for health management.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture the nuances of physical activity in this population.
• The Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD) was developed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the construct validity of a new 13-item survey, the PASIPD, for assessing physical activity in individuals with physical disabilities.
• To determine if the PASIPD accurately measures physical activity levels and correlates with self-rated health and activity levels.

Main Methods:

• A mail survey was administered to 1176 individuals with disabilities who had utilized rehabilitative services.
• The survey included the 13-item PASIPD, demographic information, and self-rated health and physical activity.
• Data from 372 respondents were analyzed using Pearson correlations and factor analysis.

Main Results:

• Pearson correlations indicated significant relationships between PASIPD items and the total score (r = .20–.67, P < .05).
• Factor analysis identified 5 latent factors accounting for 63% of the variance: home repair/garden, housework, vigorous sport/recreation, light sport/recreation, and occupation/transportation.
• Individuals reporting higher activity levels and better health status demonstrated higher PASIPD scores.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the construct validity of the PASIPD.
• The PASIPD demonstrates potential as a tool for measuring physical activity in individuals with physical disabilities.
• Further validation studies with external criteria and diverse samples are recommended.