title: What makes it so hard? Barriers to health promotion experienced by people with multiple sclerosis and polio.
abstract: Perceptions of barriers to health promotion were examined in three groups of individuals with disabilities: (1) those with multiple sclerosis, (2) those with postpolio syndrome, and (3) polio survivors without postpolio syndrome. While there were small statistically significant differences among the three groups, all rated fatigue and impairment as their most frequent problems. For all groups, financial and interpersonal resources contributed significantly to the prediction of barriers, after accounting for perceived impairment. The findings suggest that health professionals should explore thoroughly the nature of individuals' perceived barriers to staying healthy, so that they can target their health-promoting interventions most effectively.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin 78701, USA.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Alexa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stuifbergen
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016262:Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States