Abstract
Social isolation is related to poor lifestyle choices, such as reduced physical activity (PA) in able-bodied adults and children. Although preliminary evidence suggests indices of social isolation, such as social connectedness (e.g., small social network) and perceived isolation (loneliness), might be problematic for people with spinal cord injury (SCI), these issues have not been well-explored in relation to PA post-SCI. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social isolation and PA behaviours in adults with SCI. One hundred and eleven adults with SCI (Mage=60.7; 78.4% male) participated in a cross-sectional telephone study. Data were collected regarding social networks (i.e., size, frequency of interaction proximity, proportion of network members living in a household), perceived loneliness (i.e., Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale), and leisure time physical activity (LTPA-SCI Questionnaire). Loneliness was correlated with moderate LTPA days, heavy LTPA days and heavy LTPA total (days x minutes; r = -.21, r = -.22, and r=-.22, respectively; p <.05). Participants who were less lonely (score < 6 on UCLA; M=2.64, SE=.32) participated in more mild LTPA days than those were more lonely (M=1.57, SE=.40; t(109)=2.04, p<.05). Furthermore, social network structure including size, r = -.25, p < .01, and proportion of network members living in a household, r = .23, p < .05, were correlated with PA. These findings suggest that a relationship exists between social isolation and PA among people with SCI, however future research is needed to further understand these relationships.
