A percepção de barreiras para a prática de atividade física por pessoas com deficiência visual

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the main obstacles to the practice of Physical Activity (PA) in people with visual deficiency (VD). Nine people with VD were the participants of this study. As a methodological procedure a questionnaire called Obstacle Perception Measure of Physical Activity Practice were used to collect the data. This questionnaire allows identifying what are the best perceived obstacles in a determining social class. The obstacles presented are identified as: always, nearly always, sometimes, seldom or never. To accomplish the data analysis a descriptive statistic through a distribution of the data in a frequency table were used. The predominant obstacles were that characterized as social-cultural and place. The main obstacles were: lack of an accompanying; a lack of equipments available, an insufficient place safe and a lack of financial recourses. The people with VD that practice PA perceived only from zero to two obstacles and the people who do not practice PA perceived from three to eight obstacles, and it was difficult to them practice PA. As a conclusion the perception of obstacles seems to influence directly to the level of FA, because the participants that presented a high perception of obstacles have the predisposition to find more difficulties to practice some types of FA. It is necessary to establish policies acting directly in the dynamic of social relation and that offer a space and infrastructure in the city, because it is essential in order to people face the social exclusion, in the way that dispose adequate access and space to the living and to the health practices.