Physical Activity Interventions in Adult Populations With Disabilities: A Review

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to review the literature of physical activity interventions among adults with disabilities, focusing on interventions designed to increase physical activity. Keyword searches were used to identify articles from Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Physical Education Index, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus from 1998 to 2009. Relevant data such as participant characteristics, research designs, outcome measures, intervention types, theoretical models, and results were extracted. Thirteen studies met all inclusion criteria. Overall, most studies focused on women. Intervention approaches were mixed and ranged from educational workshops to exercise support groups. Interventions ranged from one week to six months. Fewer than 50% of the studies specified a theoretical framework to guide the intervention. In addition to physical activity, most studies included other outcomes (e.g., fitness, function, etc). Implications and future recommendations are presented.