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Published on: March 7, 2019
Correlation between physical activity and self-rated health status of non-elderly adults with disabilities
Amy E Bodde1, Dong-Chul Seo, Georgia Frey
1Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Applied Health Science, 1025 E. 7th St, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. weavera@indiana.edu
Objectives:
Physical activity participation is a promising pathway for reducing chronic disease risk and improving health outcomes of adults with disabilities. The objective of this study was to examine physical activity participation as a potential predictor of self-rated health status of a unique sub-population of non-elderly, non-assistive device using adults with disabilities.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study analyzed population-based data from the 2007 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. A sample of 46,883 adults with disabilities was examined. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether physical activity participation predicted self-rated health status controlling for age, gender, income level, health insurance status, BMI, smoking status, education level, and heart disease, arthritis, asthma and diabetes diagnoses.
Results:
Physical activity participation was significantly associated with self-rated health status. Those who participated in no physical activity were more likely to report fair or poor health by a factor of 3.3 (95% CI: 2.6-4.2) compared to those who met national recommendations for physical activity. Only 43.1% met one or both of the recommended physical activity guidelines.
Conclusions:
Adequate physical activity participation is correlated to better health status among adults with disabilities not associated with aging. Physical activity promotion is warranted for this population.
