Physical Activity Participation Among Persons with Disabilities Barriers and Facilitators James H. Rimmer, PhD, Barth Riley, PhD, Edward Wang, PhD, Amy Rauworth, MS, Janine Jurkowski, PhD Background: The purpose of this study was to identify various barriers and facilitators associated with participation in fitness and recreation programs/facilities among persons with disabilities. Methods: Focus groups were conducted in ten regions across the United States in 2001 to 2002 with four types of participants: (1) consumers with disabilities, (2) architects, (3) fitness and recreation professionals, and (4) city planners and park district managers. Sessions were tape-recorded and content analyzed; focus group facilitators took notes of identified barriers and facilitators to access. Results: Content analysis of tape recordings revealed 178 barriers and 130 facilitators. The following themes were identified: (1) barriers and facilitators related to the built and natural environment; (2) economic issues; (3) emotional and psychological barriers; (4) equipment barriers; (5) barriers related to the use and interpretation of guidelines, codes, regulations, and laws; (6) information-related barriers; (7) professional knowledge, education, and training issues; (8) perceptions and attitudes of persons who are not disabled, including professionals; (9) policies and procedures both at the facility and community level; and (10) availability of resources. Conclusions: The degree of participation in physical activity among people with disabilities is affected by a multifactorial set of barriers and facilitators that are unique to this population. Future research should utilize this information to develop intervention strategies that have a greater likelihood of success. (Am J Prev Med 2004;26(5):419 – 425) © 2004 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Introduction D espite the volume of evidence indicating the benefits of regular physical activity for health and functioning, people with disabilities are far less likely to engage in physically active lifestyles than are people without disabilities. 1–8 According to the Healthy People 2010 report, 56% of adults with disabili- ties do not engage in any leisure-time physical activity compared to 36% among adults without disability. 8 Promoting moderate levels of physical activity among people with disabilities is an important goal for public health and public policy, as regular physical activity improves well-being and contributes to the prevention or delay of chronic disease. 9 Little is known about why the majority of people with disabilities fail to integrate regular physical activity into their lifestyle. It has been suggested that an understand- ing of potential barriers and facilitators that affect participation by people with disabilities could provide important information necessary for developing inter- ventions that have a greater likelihood of success. 10 –13 Unfortunately, published literature on barriers and facilitators associated with participation in physical activity among people with disabilities is limited. 14 –16 Historically, accessibility to public spaces has limited the opportunity for people with disabilities to engage in social and recreational activities. 17 One study on access to environmental settings among adult wheelchair us- ers, including recreational and leisure facilities, re- ported that many people who use wheelchairs were unable to gain access to these facilities because of such barriers as bad weather or climate, no curb cuts or blocked curb cuts, limited strength or fitness, inacces- sible doors and bathrooms, no parking, poor travel surfaces, obstructed travel, personal illness, no ramps or ramps too steep, and wheelchair problems. 15 Rim- mer et al. 16 reported a large number of barriers to physical activity among African-American women with physical disabilities. Barriers included lack of transpor- From the Department of Disability and Human Development, Uni- versity of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois Address correspondence to: James H. Rimmer, PhD, Director, National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago IL 60608-6904. E-mail: jrimmer@uic.edu. 419 Am J Prev Med 2004;26(5) 0749-3797/04/$–see front matter © 2004 American Journal of Preventive Medicine • Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2004.02.002