Conference Agenda

Background: Visually impaired (VI) individuals are often reported as having lower levels of physical activity (PA) than their sighted peers.

Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize available literature on the barriers and facilitators to PA among VI individuals. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing PA levels in this cohort.

Methods: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies involving VI adults (≥18 years old) published in English language were included. A comprehensive search strategy identified relevant studies in EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and included studies published between October 2004 and October 2024 using search words related to barriers and facilitators to PA in VI individuals. The quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (MMAT). Extracted data was coded and analysed thematically. Resulting themes were mapped onto a Socioecological model (SEM) across intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, social, policy, and community levels.

Results: This review included 18 studies (10 qualitative, 6 quantitative and 2 mixed-methods studies). Synthesis identified 28 themes (14 barriers and 14 facilitators), across all levels of the SEM. The most cited barriers were under the community level (n=12), while facilitators were predominately identified under the interpersonal level (n=10).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there are multiple interconnected barriers and facilitators to PA among this cohort. A systems-based approach is required to tackle this issue involving multiple levels of action from public awareness to infrastructure design and inclusive adapted opportunities to engage in PA.