Abstract
Research has confirmed that individuals with disabilities participate in less physical activity than neurotypical individuals; therefore, factors that prevent individuals with disabilities from being active must be investigated. A review of reviews conducted by Martin Ginis et al. (2016) identified several barriers and facilitators to physical activity experienced by individuals with physical disabilities. The researchers suggested that these barriers may be preventing individuals with disabilities from becoming and staying active. To our knowledge, a review of reviews exploring the barriers and facilitators experienced by individuals with disabilities has not been conducted and therefore the purpose of this review of reviews was to identify reviews exploring barriers and facilitators to physical activity among individuals with developmental disabilities. Three systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria for this paper. Information extracted from the reviews included: databases, quality assessments, and barriers and facilitators. It was evident that individuals with developmental disabilities experienced a wide array of factors that influenced physical activity participation. Facilitators included having fun and social support, while barriers included cost and fear of injury. Limitations within the systematic reviews were evident, such as the lack of consistency of terms (e.g., physical activity). Further, researchers merged findings reported by individuals with different disabilities; given the differences between disabilities, this should be avoided. The review of reviews provided a detailed account of research pertaining to physical activity barriers and facilitators experienced by individuals with developmental disabilities, and recommendations that will advance future research in this area.
