Health Promotion for People With Disabilities: Implications for Empowering the Person and Promoting Disability-Friendly Environments

Developing innovative strategies that promote health among people with disabilities has emerged as an important public health priority. People with disabilities report fewer healthy days than the general population and lower rates of health-promoting behaviors (eg, physical inactivity and poor nutritional intake). One of the major priorities in health promotion for people with disabilities is to prevent secondary conditions. Secondary conditions are health concerns that are not a direct result of the primary disability but rather are acquired at a later time due to lifestyle changes associated with the disability (eg, weight gain, pressure sores, pain, fatigue, depression). It is important for health professionals to recognize that the substantial health disparities that exist between people with and without disabilities requires greater attention to establishing disability-friendly environments that reduce architectural, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers that make it difficult for them to engage in self-initiated health promotion practices. Empowering people with disabilities to self-manage their health requires the full support of community service providers in promoting greater access to all health promotion venues, programs, and services.