Focus on Secondary Condition Prevention: Inadequate Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women with Physical Disabilities



Secondary Condition Prevention: Inadequate Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women with Physical Disabilities


Image of Jennifer Rowland, Ph.D.
Jennifer Rowland, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States; however, women with physical disabilities are less likely to receive preventive screening and are less knowledgeable about CVD risk factors than women without disabilities, according to a recent study by Caprioti (2006). Surveys were conducted with 100 women with physical disabilities and 50 women without disabilities to determine the risk of CVD based on their knowledge of CVD risk factors, possession of specific CVD risk factors, and experience with CVD preventive screening procedures. Compared to women without disabilities, women with physical disabilities were less knowledgeable about CVD risk factors and received far less preventive screening for CVD. Specifically, body weight measurement, baseline electrocardiograms, and screening questions involving family history and behavioral history of smoking were performed less often as part of routine health screenings than women without disabilities who were of similar age. Within the sample of women with disabilities, there were higher reports of physical inactivity and a greater incidence of postmenopausal status, both of which are CVD risk factors. Overall, the study reported CVD risk is underrecognized and underassessed in women with physical disabilities in this sample. For more information about CVD risk factors, refer to the NCHPAD fact sheets on hypertension (http://www.ncpad.org/77/575/Hypertension) and congestive heart failure (http://www.ncpad.org/349/2029/Congestive~Heart~Failure).

According to a recently published report updating the recommendations for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association (Haskell et al., 2007), to promote and maintain health, adults (ages 18-65) should:

  • Perform moderate-intensity aerobic (endurance) physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on 5 days per week or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on 3 days per week
  • Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity can be performed to meet this recommendation*
  • These moderate- or vigorous-intensity activities are in addition to the light-intensity activities frequently performed during daily life (e.g., self care, washing dishes, using light tools at a desk) or activities of very short duration (e.g., taking out trash, walking to parking lot at store or office)
  • Moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which is generally equivalent to a brisk walk* and noticeably accelerates the heart rate, can be accumulated toward the 30-minute minimum by performing bouts of 10 or more minutes

*Note: Currently, a federal panel is in place (appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) that will update physical activity recommendations to include people with disabilities. Dr. James Rimmer, Director of NCPAD, is a member of this federal panel and more details regarding the results of these recommendations will be made available at a later date. Adaptations for moderate or vigorous aerobic activity for a person who is a wheelchair user may include wheeling at a fast pace or for longer distances or using equipment such as an arm ergometer at higher intensities. Related resources available at www.ncpad.org on moderate and vigorous activities for people with disabilities include:

I encourage you to write to me with suggestions for future column topics or to comment on the information provided in this column. You can reach me by e-mail at jenrow@uic.edu.






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 National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability