Development of a Comprehensive List of Barriers to Physical Activity Faced by People with Mobility Impairments

The benefits of physical activity are widely known and accepted. People with mobility impairments are less likely to engage in recommended physical activity levels than people without impairments. There is a lack of understanding of barriers to physical activity faced by people with disabilities. The purpose is to identify barriers to physical activities which limit physical activity of people with impairments.

Experts in physical activity promotion for people with disabilities and barriers to physical activity measurement completed a three round Delphi study. In round one, participants were provided a list of barriers that were identified from a literature review and asked to identify additional barriers. In round two, participants were asked to identify redundant barriers and state if a barriers should be kept or removed. In round three, participants were asked to group the barriers into domains and rank the barriers from “easiest to overcome” to “most difficult to overcome.”

A total of 204 unique barriers were identified in round one. In round two, 80% agreement was used as the criteria for keeping or removing barriers. Redundant barriers were combined. Approximately 50% of the barriers were either removed or combined with other barriers. Barriers were categorized within an ecological framework (personal, social, organizational, and community). Community barriers were listed as the most difficult to overcome.

The identified barriers have the potential to help develop interventions that can increase the physical activity levels of people with disabilities. Future studies should measure the relationship between barrier difficulty and physical activity levels.