Association of Physical Activity to the Risk of Obesity in Adults with Physical Disabilities

Abstract

Adults with physical disabilities have an increased risk of obesity. Physical activity
is essential to maintaining healthy weight; meanwhile, it is not fully understood how much
physical activity is needed in order to decrease the risk of obesity for this population. This
paper discusses the association of physical activity to the risk of obesity in adults with physical
disabilities. Body Mass Index (BMI) and percent Body Fat (%BF; measure of body composition)
are commonly used for determining the prevalence of obesity. Physical activity can help
to achieve and maintain optimal BMI and %BF regardless of the presence of physical disabilities.
Meanwhile, the effectiveness of physical activity on reducing the risk of obesity may be
different between people with and those without physical disabilities. There are limitations associated
with using BMI and %BF for determining the degree of obesity particularly for adults
with physical disabilities. More research is needed to examine the association between different
physical activity levels and the prevalence of obesity among this population. Future research
should also focus on developing general physical activity recommendations for the special
populations to help them reduce the risk of obesity and improve the quality of life.