Correlates of exercise maintenance among people with mobility impairments.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This paper describes correlates of exercise maintenance in a sample of adults with mobility impairments. Understanding processes that promote exercise is important if one is to increase access to exercise for people with disabilities. METHOD: A model of variables predicting 6-month maintenance of regular exercise was examined, using data from a self-administered questionnaire given to a community sample of 113 adults with long-term mobility impairments. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression were used. RESULTS: Logistic regression showed that people with lower motivational barriers and higher exercise self-efficacy had a higher probability of exercise maintenance. Demographic characteristics and disability-related and environmental barriers did not differentiate between those who did and did not continue to exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term sustained exercise by people with mobility impairments might be promoted by efforts to increase motivation to exercise involve health professionals as one source of support and expand opportunity by increasing access to appropriate sites and programming.