This secondary analysis of data drawn from a descriptive phenomenological study explored how older adults with low vision experience and manage community mobility. Participants included 34 urban and rural older adults, age 70 years and older, who were not using low-vision-rehabilitation services. The findings convey a core element of the experience of community mobility for participants: living with a pervasive sense of fear regarding one’s body and way of being. Participants continually gauged risks associated with mobility and engaged in risk avoidance and management strategies. Community mobility was often restricted by participants because of perceived risks, leading to reduced participation in a range of physical, social, and other types of activities. Further research on environmental factors mediating community mobility and on strategies effective in maintaining mobility among seniors with low vision is essential to optimize participation, health, and service delivery.
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Deborah Laliberte Rudman and Michelle Durdle
Shanelle Sorbello, Vu Quang Do, Anna Palagyi, and Lisa Keay
increased knee muscle strength compared with participants with low vision. However, there was no difference between the groups in lower limb strength, as measured by the sit to stand test. Salive et al. ( 1994 ) also found a significant association between reduced binocular VA and poorer physical
Mark W. Swanson, Eric Bodner, Patricia Sawyer, and Richard M. Allman
Little is known about the effect of reduced vision on physical activity in older adults. This study evaluates the association of visual acuity level, self-reported vision, and ocular disease conditions with leisure-time physical activity and calculated caloric expenditure. A cross-sectional study of 911 subjects 65 yr and older from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging (SOA) cohort was conducted evaluating the association of vision-related variables to weekly kilocalorie expenditure calculated from the 17-item Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. Ordinal logistic regression was used to evaluate possible associations while controlling for potential confounders. In multivariate analyses, each lower step in visual acuity below 20/50 was significantly associated with reduced odds of having a higher level of physical activity, OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67, 0.97. Reduced visual acuity appears to be independently associated with lower levels of physical activity among community-dwelling adults.
Otávio Luis Piva da Cunha Furtado, Kelly Allums-Featherston, Lauren Joy Lieberman, and Gustavo Luis Gutierrez
The authors conducted a systematic literature review on physical activity interventions for children and youth with visual impairment (VI). Five databases were searched to identify studies involving the population of interest and physical activity practices. After evaluating 2,495 records, the authors found 18 original full-text studies published in English they considered eligible. They identified 8 structured exercise-training studies that yielded overall positive effect on physical-fitness and motor-skill outcomes. Five leisure-time-physical-activity and 5 instructional-strategy interventions were also found with promising proposals to engage and instruct children and youth with VI to lead an active lifestyle. However, the current research on physical activity interventions for children and youth with VI is still limited by an absence of high-quality research designs, low sample sizes, use of nonvalidated outcome measures, and lack of generalizability, which need to be addressed in future studies.
Ali Brian, Laura Bostick, Angela Starrett, Aija Klavina, Sally Taunton Miedema, Adam Pennell, Alex Stribing, Emily Gilbert, and Lauren J. Lieberman
the deaf and blind in Latvia ( n = 57), an online subgroup led by parents ( n = 10), and a control subgroup ( n = 10). Children’s age ( M age = 13.01 years, SD = 3.26); self-reported degree of VI (blind = 44 and low vision = 50); and race/ethnicity (Latvian = 57, African American = 16, European
Luis Columna, Denzil A. Streete, Samuel R. Hodge, Suzanna Rocco Dillon, Beth Myers, Michael L. Norris, Tiago V. Barreira, and Kevin S. Heffernan
Prevention, 2016 ). Unfortunately, children with visual impairments (VI), that is, those who are blind or who have low vision, are not meeting national guidelines for PA and tend to be more sedentary than their peers without disabilities ( Kozub & Oh, 2004 ). Due to limited PA opportunities and inactivity
Justin A. Haegele, Takahiro Sato, Xihe Zhu, and T. Nicole Kirk
In recent years, several studies have explored the experiential perspectives of youth with visual impairments (i.e., those with low vision and complete blindness) toward their physical education experiences ( de Schipper, Lieberman, & Moody, 2017 ; Haegele, Sato, Zhu, & Avery, 2017 ; Haegele
Jeffrey J. Martin, Erin E. Snapp, E. Whitney G. Moore, Lauren J. Lieberman, Ellen Armstrong, and Staci Mannella
VI. All participants had a VI and were categorized as either low vision or complete blindness. In addition to measuring barriers to PA with the PABQ-VI, PA levels and barrier self-efficacy were also assessed. The resultant omega coefficients and the Guttman split-half coefficient suggested that the
Amy E. Burton, Louise Clancy, and Lisa Cowap
service professionals working with older adults with sight loss (e.g., occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and low vision support workers) to recognize and address these psychological constraints. For example, motivational interviewing (MI) is a psychological counseling strategy that aims to
Soubhagyalaxmi Mohanty, Balaram Pradhan, and Alex Hankey
coordination in children without VI ( Purohit et al., 2016 ; Telles et al., 2013 ). A 3-month motor training program for children with low vision showed significant improvement in bilateral and upper limb coordination in the training group ( Aki, Atasavun, Turan, & Kayihan, 2007 ). Although the precise
