Barriers to physical activity in university students with disabilities: Differences by sociodemographic variables.

BACKGROUND: Despite the positive effects of regular physical activity (PA), university students with disabilities are less active than their able-bodied peers, which could be due to the wide range of barriers to PA that these individuals face across all social ecological levels.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the barriers to PA experienced by university students with disabilities at the different social ecological levels and to examine the differences in these barriers by sociodemographic variables.

METHODS: The reduced Spanish version of the Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with Mobility Impairments was administered to a sample of 1219 Spanish university students with disabilities. Non-parametric tests were performed to examine the differences in the barriers experienced by sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS: The most important barriers were intrapersonal (e.g. fatigue, pain, lack of motivation), followed by organizational ones (e.g. lack of adapted programs, economic cost). At the interpersonal level, the inactivity of friends and family were the main barriers. Potholes in the streets or other public spaces were found to be the most important barriers at the community level. Significant differences were found in barriers by sex, age, disability grade, congenital-acquired disability and disability type. The groups most affected by the barriers were, in general, those with multiple disabilities and higher disability grade.

CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the need for PA promotion programs to be implemented for university students with disabilities addressing the most important barriers found at each social ecological level, as well as the differences identified by sociodemographic variables.