Perceived Barriers to Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Physically Active Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.
Paul K Watson, Laura Stendell, Camila Quel De Oliveira and 3 others
PMID 39822206WHAT IT FOUND
Only 47% of physically active people with spinal cord injury met activity guidelines.
Cost, pain, time, energy, and feeling self-conscious in a fitness center were most reported barriers; knowing an accessible facility was linked to meeting guidelines.
Key findings
01Forty-seven per cent of participants met SCI-specific physical activity guideline recommendations, and pre-injury guideline adherence was not associated with post-injury adherence (P =.382).
02Participants were over 4 times more likely to meet SCI-specific physical activity guidelines if they were aware of an accessible exercise facility (OR 4.29, 95% CI 1.28-14.36, P =.021).
03Forty per cent of guideline non-adherents reported feeling self-conscious in a fitness center, and this was associated with lower leisure-time physical activity volume (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07-0.61, P =.032).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was 105 people, and the authors say a larger sample would be needed to represent the broader Australian spinal cord injury population. Participants had to have done at least 15 minutes of leisure-time physical activity in the previous 7 days, so the findings do not describe people who were inactive. The study was conducted only in Australia, so the barriers may not match people in other countries. Two interviewers used different styles, and participants sometimes needed prompts to classify activity intensity, which may have affected data extraction. The authors attempted factor analysis to group barriers, but clusters of fewer than 7 barriers emerged, so combinations of barriers could not be identified.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that removing a barrier will increase activity. This was a cross-sectional survey of people who had already been active in the previous 7 days, and it reports associations, not tested effects of interventions.