State of the art of research on disability and physical activity in South America A Narrative Review

Abstract

The universal model of disability conceptualized this as a phenomenon inherent to the human being. Related to this is the concept of adapted physical activity, which is a multidisciplinary field that, from different perspectives, seeks to achieve the full participation of people with disabilities in the practice of physical activity and sport, from the promotion, adaptation and modification necessary to achieve active involvement. The objective of this research was to review the publications in the last ten years regarding disability and physical activity related to the barriers and facilitators for its practice in people with disabilities in South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. A narrative review was conducted in an EBSCOHost, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, Pubmed, Discoverer UNAL and Google Scholar search. For its final classification, four categories were considered barriers and facilitators in physical activity, actors involved and their role, physical activity level and physical health conditions in people with disabilities. From the review, it is identified that it is necessary to recognize the different conceptions and practices related to disability in South America, in order to promote the practice of physical activity for people with disability from inclusive and universal perspectives, as well as to strengthen related public policies with the theme, to eliminate the barriers presented for the practice of physical activity and promote possible facilitators. Likewise, it is important to continue promoting research related to the subject, since the studies carried out at present are still limited.

Key words: people with disabilities, physical health conditions, barriers, facilitators, physical activity, physical fitness