Association between living alone and physical inactivity among people with and without disability, Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2009

• Published in: Preventing chronic disease Vol. 11; p. E173
• Main Authors: Escobar-Viera, César G, Jones, Patrice D, Schumacher, Jessica R, Hall, Allyson G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 09.10.2014
• Series: Peer Reviewed
• Subjects: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Brief; Data Collection; Disabled Persons; Family Characteristics; Female; Florida; Health Behavior; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Activity - physiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Florida
• ISSN: 1545-1151; 1545-1151
• DOI: 10.5888/pcd11.140182

People with disability may be at risk of developing diseases due to physical inactivity; social support from family and friends is positively related to engaging in regular physical activity. We compared the association between living alone and engagement in physical activity among people with and without disability in Florida. We used multivariate logistical regression to analyze 2009 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (n = 10,902) to assess differences in physical activity in disability levels for respondents who lived alone versus those who did not. Respondents with a disability were less likely to engage in physical activity than were people without a disability, regardless of disability type, and the lowest rates of engaging in physical activity were found for people with disability who lived alone. Public health efforts should consider the role of household composition when targeting physical activity interventions among people with disability.