Hur hälsa skapas och upprätthålls hos fysiskt funktionsnedsatta : En kvalitativ studie om faktorer som påverkar hälsan hos personer med fysisk funktionsnedsättning

Background: People with disabilities generally have poorer health compared to the general population. Differences in participation, economic conditions, and lifestyle habits exist between individuals with disabilities and the rest of the population, which may indicate health inequities between these groups. Factors play a central role in the health of people with disabilities, where certain factors, both individually and in combination, can contribute to improved health. Aim: The aim of the study is to examine perceptions of how the health of people with physical disabilities is created and maintained. Method: The study includes six semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using manifest content analysis. All informants had ten years of experience and various perspectives and connections to the field of disability, based on one's own disability, as a relative or as a professional working in the field. Results: The main aspects in the results were the factors that the informants described as influencing the health of individuals with disabilities, where support and personal motivation were identified as crucial for making progress and achieving development. Other significant factors included how economic conditions and inequality can affect opportunities to health. Conclusions: The study’s conclusion is that the health of individuals with disabilities is created and influenced through various factors at different levels. Individual factors such as internal motivation and autonomy, social and societal factors such as social support and community, economic conditions, and environmental circumstances represent different levels in society that create and maintain the health of individuals with disabilities. Interaction between individual, social, structural, and political factors can create a holistic perspective, where both the social-ecological model and the determinants of health can be applied to enhance the understanding of the health of individuals with disabilities. Key words: Disability, influencing factors, public health, qualitative method, social support