Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Perceived Quality of Life in Adults with Visual Impairment

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Past findings regarding the physical activity (PA) levels of children with visual impairments (VI) suggest that persons with VI may display a greater prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity during adulthood. While the number of persons affected by VI is expected to double within the next 30 years, current information regarding the PA level, health status, and general well-being of adults with VI is lacking. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to quantify the interaction of VI severity and sex on daily PA, body composition, and perceived quality of life (PQOL) in adults with VI. A secondary purpose of this investigation was to determine the predictability of PQOL from the interaction of VI severity and level of PA. METHODS: Questionnaire-based measures of PQOL, pedometer-determined daily step counts (DSC) obtained over 4 randomly-selected days within a 1-week period, and skinfold-based assessments of percent body fat were obtained on 25 adults (15 males, 10 females; age = 39.4 ± 12.0 yrs; body mass = 86.7 ± 17.3 kg) with mild (n = 8), moderate (n = 9), and severe (n = 8) VI. RESULTS: Daily step counts were not different (p > .05) between males (7826 ± 3212 steps·d−1) and females (8332 ± 3410 steps·d−1) and were similar for levels of mild (8962 ± 3994 steps·d−1), moderate (7307 ± 3677 steps·d−1), and severe VI (7906 ± 1652 steps·d−1). Body composition was higher (p = .01) for females (37 ± 5%) compared to males (26 ± 7%), but was not different across varying levels of VI (mild VI = 29 ± 6%; moderate VI = 31 ± 6%; severe VI = 31 ± 12%). PQOL values were lower (p = .05) for females (79 ± 16) compared to males (98 ± 17), but did not vary (p > .05) with respect to level of VI (mild VI = 92 ± 17; moderate VI = 87 ± 18; severe VI = 93 ± 24). Moreover, the statistical interaction among VI severity and daily step counts on PQOL was not significant (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Viewed collectively, data from our study highlight the need for adults with VI to increase levels of PA and achieve a healthier body composition profile. Accumulating regular doses of PA may be particularly beneficial for adult females with VI, given their high relative adiposity and lower PQOL.