Facts About People with Disabilities and Physical Activity
Data from Healthy People 2010 suggests that compared to people without disabilities, individuals with disabilities are more likely to:
- Be obese
- 45% of males and 56% of females with developmental disabilities are overweight
- Engage in exercise and other healthy behaviors less frequently
- Have earlier deaths
- Have chronic health conditions
- Have preventable secondary conditions
- Make more emergency room visits
Today, about 50 million Americans, or 1 in 5 people, are living with at least one disability, and most Americans will experience a disability some time during the course of their lives. Anyone can have a disability.
People with disabilities face many barriers to good health. Studies show that individuals with disabilities are more likely than people without disabilities to report:
- Having poorer overall health.
- Having less access to adequate health care.
- Having no access to health insurance.
- Skipping medical care because cost.
- Engaging in risky health behaviors, including smoking and physical inactivity.
People with disabilities can leave long healthy lives. Many can and do go to school and attend places of worship. They also vote, marry, have children, work, and play. Having a disability does not mean a person can’t be healthy.
People with or without disabilities can stay healthy by having health care access and living healthy lifestyles, and by exercising.
Adults
Children
Challenges Facing People with Disabilities
People with disabilities can find it more difficult to eat healthy, control their weight, and be physically active. This might be due to:
- A lack of healthy food choices.
- Difficulty with chewing or swallowing food, or its taste or texture.
- Medications that can contribute to weight gain, weight loss, and changes in appetite.
- Physical limitations that can reduce a person’s ability to exercise.
- Pain.
- A lack of energy.
- A lack of accessible environments (for example, sidewalks, parks, and exercise equipment) that can enable exercise.
- A lack of resources (for example, money, transportation, and social support from family, friends, neighbors, and community members).
What can be done?
The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010
In her first release to the nation, Dr. Benjamin highlights the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans, and asks them to join her in a grassroots effort to commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and communities.
Also available: Fact Sheet.
Obesity is a complex problem that requires a strong call for action, at many levels, for both adults as well as children. More efforts are needed, and new federal initiatives are helping to change our communities into places that strongly support healthy eating and active living.
All people can:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods high in fat and sugar.
- Drink more water instead of sugary drinks.
- Watch less television.
- Promote policies and programs at school, at work, and in the community that make the healthy choice the easy choice.
- Be more physically active.
