title: Environmental factors and their role in participation and life satisfaction after spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate environmental barriers reported by people with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to determine the relative impact of environmental barriers compared with demographic and injury characteristics and activity limitations in predicting variation in participation and life satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, follow-up survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals rehabilitated at 16 federally designated Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems of care, now living in the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  People with SCI (N=2726) who completed routine follow-up research interviews between 2000 and 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors-Short Form (CHIEF-SF), the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique-Short Form, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The top 5 environmental barriers reported by subjects with SCI, in descending order of importance, were the natural environment, transportation, need for help in the home, availability of health care, and governmental policies. The CHIEF-SF subscales accounted for only 4% or less of the variation in participation; they accounted for 10% of the variation in life satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inclusion of environmental factors in models of disability was supported, but were found to be more strongly related to life satisfaction than to societal participation.
authors.affiliation: Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO 80113, USA. gale@craig-hospital.org
authors.forename: Gale
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Whiteneck
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Meade
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dijkers
authors.forename: Denise G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bushnik
authors.forename: Martin B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Forchheimer
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001107:Architectural Accessibility; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004779:Environment Design / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014481:United States