Abstract
Evidence on physical activity (PA) maintenance in the context of physical disability remains limited due to inconsistent conceptualization of “maintenance”. A configurative review identified conceptual attributes of PA maintenance, grouped into three categories: (1) Individual and Environmental Resources (supportive physical environment, social support, self-monitoring, self-efficacy, and grit); (2) Valued Outcomes of Physical Activity (health outcomes, enjoyment, values PA, and gratification/satisfaction); and (3) Achievement of Maintenance (consistency and achieving PA recommendations). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the identified attributes among adults with physical disability over 6-months. Participants (n=28) were adults with physical disability who reported at least 30 min of PA in the last month. Self-reported questionnaires corresponding with the identified attributes were administered at baseline, 3-months, and 6-months. Multi-level analysis was conducted separately for each attribute category and for each outcome: PA participation and consistency. Among Individual and Environmental Resources, social support significantly predicted PA participation (p=0.007) and self-efficacy significantly predicted consistency (p=0.03). Positive relationships, trending towards significant, were identified for gratification/satisfaction (p=0.09) and enjoyment (p=0.12) with PA participation and grit (p=0.08) and self-monitoring (p=0.10) with consistency. Among Valued Outcomes of Physical Activity satisfaction with PA significantly predicted consistency (p=0.001). These results provide initial findings of the identified PA maintenance attributes among adults with physical disability. Significant and trending results suggest the identified attributes may be relevant for maintaining PA. Future analyses with the larger dataset currently being collected (n = 75) will clarify their contribution to PA maintenance.
