What is preventing people with disabilities from exercise?

A new review discovers that as gyms don’t offer types of equipment for disabled people and don’t have professional trainers, especially for disabled people, that is why people who are disabled aren’t getting the exercise they require.

The review author, Alexandra Jamieson, a research scientist at The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute said that few commercial gyms are taking the initiative to encourage fitness for disabled people.

In a university news release Jamieson said “The biggest barriers to fitness are accessibility and cost. Standard gyms are not legally required to have adaptive machines for users of differing abilities. Plus, there is generally a lack of data about the demand for these adaptive machines that would help gyms justify the higher costs of adding them“.

Researchers also wrote that about one in every six people (16%) lives with serious disability, which eventually affects their daily lives.

The review also noted that only 40% of disabled people do daily physical tasks. Therefore, they are most likely to suffer from chronic illnesses like diabetes, stroke, cancer or heart disease. They may also suffer mentally such as depression and anxiety.

Jamieson said, “Many people with disabilities struggle with psychological issues such as low esteem and negative body image, which can further reduce their motivation to participate in exercise activities, especially in public places like gyms”.

Disabled people not only face problems for not having the proper types of equipment or professional trainers for the disabled, but they also face problems while transporting to the gym. Researchers said, that although there are transports available for disabled people, they are not always convenient or suitable for the disabled.

Jamieson said, that although home gyms are famous for disabled people, low demand for customised types of equipment means high price.

Jamieson said, increasing government assistance programs could help disabled people to afford home gym equipment.

Recently, in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation. the review was published.

SOURCE: University of Texas at Arlington, news release, Aug 1 2024.