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Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies...
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Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies for Health Promotion

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Community Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 8985

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raul Antunes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. ESECS—Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
2. Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: adapted physical activity; exercise; human behavior; motivation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Diogo Monteiro

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. ESECS—Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
2. Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: motivation; sports psychology; confirmatory factor analyses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Miguel Jacinto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
ESECS—Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
Interests: exercise; physical fitness; adapted physical activity; elderly
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue, entitled ‘Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies for Health Promotion’.

Those with disabilities are predominantly sedentary and have relatively low rates of physical activity. In addition to a lack of physical fitness and direct effects on the activities of daily living, this increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, depression, and anxiety, and affects individuals’ quality of life. These sedentary and active lifestyles are often associated with barriers to practice that prevent people with disabilities from engaging in any kind of physical activity, exercise, or sport in the same way that people without disabilities engage in them. Among these barriers we can find the following: a lack of adapted programs and a lack of motivation, among others.

Considering that regular physical activity, exercise and/or sport provides numerous benefits for physical, mental, and social development, thus promoting the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, it is important to develop strategies and tools that mitigate/decrease these current barriers to practice.

This Special Issue aims to compile strategies, tools and methodologies that will help professionals/institutions/organizations promote the regular practice of physical activity, exercise and sport in people with disabilities, thus promoting their quality of life.

I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Raul Antunes
Dr. Diogo Monteiro
Guest Editors

Dr. Miguel Jacinto
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adapted physical activity
  • disabilities
  • exercise
  • human behavior
  • motivation
  • adapted sports

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 500 KiB  
Article
Appraising the Physical Activity Levels of Saudis with Physical Disabilities: Effects of Disability Type, Mobility Assistive Devices, and Demographic Factors
by Mohamed A. Said and Majed M. Alhumaid
Healthcare 2024, 12(9), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12090937 - 2 May 2024
Viewed by 2060
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) has numerous health benefits for individuals with physical disabilities (IWPD). However, it is common for activity levels to fall below the suggested limits. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, pattern, and levels of PA among IWPD in Saudi Arabia. [...] Read more.
Physical activity (PA) has numerous health benefits for individuals with physical disabilities (IWPD). However, it is common for activity levels to fall below the suggested limits. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, pattern, and levels of PA among IWPD in Saudi Arabia. It also investigated the effects of individuals’ type of disability, mobility assistive devices, and demographic features on PA levels. Data were collected from 238 participants, mostly male (62.2%), aged 39.76 ± 12.19 years. Among them, 19.3% had spinal conditions, 14.7% had progressive muscular dystrophy, 15.1% had multiple sclerosis, 17.6% had cerebral palsy, 16.4% had poliomyelitis, and 16.8% had limb or foot amputations. The participants were assessed using the Arabic version of the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD-AR). The results showed that 62.6% (64.9% of males and 58.9% of females) met the minimum PA guidelines specified by the WHO. The average PASIPD-AR score was 10.33 ± 10.67 MET-hours/day, indicating lower PA levels, and 8.4% of individuals did not participate in any form of PA. Significant discrepancies were detected in disability type and mobility assistive device use after age adjustment. Marital status, education, and occupation greatly affected PA components. Greater attention should be paid to promoting an active lifestyle among IWPD in Saudi Arabia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies for Health Promotion)
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27 pages, 1066 KiB  
Systematic Review
Physical Exercise Interventions Using Virtual Reality in Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy: Systematic Review
by Javier Velasco Aguado, Mário C. Espada, Jesús Muñoz-Jiménez, Cátia C. Ferreira and Luisa Gámez-Calvo
Healthcare 2025, 13(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13020189 - 19 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1647
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that affects movement and posture. Physical activity (PA) is safe and crucial for healthy development; however, this population faces barriers that hinder its implementation. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging and promising technology that promotes [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that affects movement and posture. Physical activity (PA) is safe and crucial for healthy development; however, this population faces barriers that hinder its implementation. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging and promising technology that promotes PA in young people with CP. This work aims to compile and analyze the current scientific literature on physical exercise (PE) programs using VR in children and adolescents with CP through a PRISMA systematic review. Methods: A systematic review was conducted and reported based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses) statement. The search was conducted through the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases on 1st September 2024. Studies based on PA interventions using VR in children and adolescents with CP were selected. Results: A total of 24 experimental research articles were selected for this review. The studies included comprise a total sample of 616 participants between 4 and 18 years old. The studies involved a diverse range of interventions, from brief sessions to intensive training. The results consistently demonstrated improvements in motor control, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and overall participation in daily activities. Conclusions: The results highlight that the use of VR for PE programs has numerous benefits such as increased enjoyment, facilitation of motor learning, and acquisition of functional skills. PE through VR in children and adolescents with CP represents a promising tool; more scientific and practical evidence is needed to confirm its long-term effectiveness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies for Health Promotion)
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17 pages, 632 KiB  
Systematic Review
Physical Activity, Quality of Live and Well-Being in Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disability
by Susana Diz, Miguel Jacinto, Aldo M. Costa, Diogo Monteiro, Rui Matos and Raul Antunes
Healthcare 2024, 12(6), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060654 - 14 Mar 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3969
Abstract
The practice of physical activity, exercise and sport has many benefits for the general population, but studies on the population with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are scarce and inconclusive. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the state of the [...] Read more.
The practice of physical activity, exercise and sport has many benefits for the general population, but studies on the population with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are scarce and inconclusive. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the state of the art on the role of physical activity, exercise and sport in the quality of life and well-being of people with IDD, seeking to understand the current panorama in this area and provide answers to these questions. The research was carried out between July and October 2023 using three databases: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Fifteen articles met the eligibility criteria for this study, and these were methodologically assessed using the Downs and Black scale (1998). Higher values were identified in the total quality of life score and some domains of this variable (e.g., personal development, physical well-being and emotional well-being), in satisfaction with life and in the perception of well-being in individuals with IDD who have enjoyed or are involved in physical activity, physical exercise and/or sports programs. Thus, according to the studies included in this systematic review, we can conclude that the practice of physical activity, physical exercise and sport seems to contribute to improving the quality of life and well-being of people with IDD. Despite the growing research interest in this area, there is still a notable lack of studies exploring the impact of these programs, especially sports-based programs, on quality of life and well-being variables in the population under study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sport in People with Disabilities: Strategies for Health Promotion)
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