title: Use of the ICF in identifying factors that impact participation in physical activity/rehabilitation among people with disabilities.
abstract: Many health professionals have expressed difficulty finding ways to keep people with disabilities engaged in community-based physical activity/rehabilitation programs. A major reason for this low adherence may be that the recommended intervention plan does not match well with the specific needs of the individual. Various personal and/or environmental factors along with the person's level of functioning can impede participation in healthful physical activity/rehabilitation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can be a useful tool for identifying key factors associated with participation in community-based physical activity/rehabilitation. The ICF allows health professionals to identify the level of functioning at the body, person and societal level, as well as understand the person-environment contextual factors that may impede or enhance participation. This paper describes how the ICF can assist health professionals in identifying a broader constellation of factors when prescribing physical activity/rehabilitation programs for persons with varying levels of disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60608-6904, USA. jrimmer@uic.edu
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rimmer
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001290:Attitude; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D012944:Social Support