%0 Journal Article %T The Enjoyment of Physical Activity Determines Body Mass Index in Young People with Physical Disabilities %A Shirley S. M. Fong %A Amy S. C. Ha %A Tina W. T. Chan %A Mei K. Au %J Open Journal of Preventive Medicine %P 241-249 %@ 2162-2485 %D 2014 %I Scientific Research Publishing %R 10.4236/ojpm.2014.45030 %X

Objective: This study aimed to 1) compare the body mass index (BMI) and patterns of out-of-school activity participation in young people with and without physical disabilities, and 2) examine the relationship between BMI and the activity participation patterns among young people with physical disabilities. Methods: Thirty-nine young persons with physical disabilities (mean age ¡À standard deviation: 18.79 ¡À 1.99 years) and 70 healthy individuals (mean age ¡À standard deviation: 18.64 ¡À 0.74 years) participated in the study. The diversity, intensity, companionship, location and enjoyment of participation in activities were evaluated using the Children¡¯s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) scale. Body height and weight were obtained and BMI was calculated. Results: People with physical disabilities, regardless of their gender, had significantly lower CAPE-derived scores in almost all types of activity than the control participants (p < 0.05). Moreover, BMI was significantly higher in the group with physical disabilities than in the control group (p < 0.001). Regression analysis further showed that the CAPE score for physical activity explained 17.2% of the variance in BMI (p = 0.021). Conclusion: Young people with physical disabilities generally had lower levels of activity participation and a higher BMI than their healthy counterparts. The perception of enjoyment during physical activities was an important determinant of BMI in this group of participants.

%K Exercise %K Obesity %K Happiness %K Disabled Persons %U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=45515