Physical Activity Among Adults With Mobility Disability: Insights From 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Physical activity (PA) plays a vital role in promoting health and well-being, offering substantial benefits in chronic disease prevention and quality of life enhancement. Nevertheless, understanding of PA patterns among individuals with mobility disabilities remains limited, particularly regarding adherence to PA guidelines and engagement in strength activities. PURPOSE: To examine the patterns of aerobic and muscle-strengthening PA among U.S. adults with mobility disability using the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. METHODS: A total of 212,718 participants, with 8.77% identified as having a mobility disability, were included in this study. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to examine the associations between PA and mobility disability status. RESULTS: People with mobility disabilities reported a higher unadjusted average of weekly PA duration (487.29 vs. 458.07 minutes) and vigorous PA (146.42 vs. 98.48 minutes). Adjusted analyses, however, indicated a significant decrease in total PA (aβ = -71.63, p < 0.01) and vigorous PA (aβ = -31.63, p < 0.01). For muscle-strengthening activities, unadjusted counts were lower for those with mobility disabilities (1.78 vs. 1.93), but the adjusted frequency was marginally higher by 0.14 counts (p < .01). Adjusted logistic regression demonstrated a reduced likelihood of meeting aerobic PA guidelines (aOR = 0.65, p < 0.01) for people with mobility disabilities. Contrarily, the odds of adhering to muscle-strengthening guidelines were not statistically different (aOR = 1.03), suggesting no significant effect of mobility disability on meeting these guidelines when controlling for covariates. CONCLUSION: Despite engaging more in certain types of PA, people with mobility disabilities demonstrate lower adherence to established PA guidelines, suggesting that current recommendations may not adequately address the specific needs of people with mobility disabilities. This emphasizes the need for tailored strategies to enhance both aerobic PA and strength activities in this population, considering the multifaceted influences on their activity levels.