{ "abstract": "Adults with disabilities are less physically active than the general population, yet the environmental point at which this disparity emerges is rarely identified in national surveillance. We examined perceived availability, use, and barriers to the use of physical activity spaces among Chilean adults with and without disabilities, and estimated the association of disability with physical inactivity and with non-use of available spaces. Cross-sectional analysis of the 2024 National Survey of Physical Activity and Sports Habits (ENAFyD), a probabilistic national sample of adults in Chile (n = 8,653). Self-reported disability was classified into mutually exclusive categories (sensory only, physical only, cognitive only, multiple types, other only, none) and cross-classified with perceived availability of spaces near the home, their use, reported barriers among non-users, and the survey physical activity index. Group differences were tested with weighted Poisson regression with robust variance, reported as crude prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals and p values; adjusted models included sex, age group, and socioeconomic status, selected a priori as confounders using a directed acyclic graph. The weighted prevalence of disability was 9.3%. Perceived availability of spaces did not differ between groups (92.1% vs. 91.4%; crude PR 1.01; 95% CI 0.99-1.03; p = 0.478). However, among adults with available spaces, only 29.9% (95% CI 25.4-34.8) of those with disabilities used them, compared with 42.7% (40.8-44.6) of those without (crude PR for non-use 1.22; 1.16-1.29; p < 0.001). The largest differential barriers were distance or difficulty of access (14.0% vs. 7.7%; PR 1.82; 1.44-2.31) and lack of companionship (25.9% vs. 16.8%; PR 1.54; 1.31-1.80). In adjusted models, disability was associated with physical inactivity (PR 1.22; 1.11-1.33) and with non-use of available spaces (PR 1.14; 1.08-1.20), with the largest estimate among adults reporting multiple disability types (PR 1.47; 1.35-1.60). In Chilean adults, the disability gap in physical activity is concentrated in the use of spaces rather than in their perceived availability, and access- and companionship-related barriers were more frequently reported by non-users with disabilities. Policies should prioritize the usability of existing spaces, through accessibility, safe access, and social support, alongside new construction.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Facultad de Educación y Humanidades, Escuela de Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.", "Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências do Movimento Humano e Reabilitação, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, São Paulo, Brazil.", "Health, Physical Activity and Sports Science Laboratory, Department of Physical Activity and Sports, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.", "Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador.", "Facultad de Educación, Carrera de Educación Física, Universidad Adventista de Chile, Chillán, Chile.", "Departamento de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, Universidad de Atacama, Copiapó, Chile.", "iGEO Research, Escuela de Educación Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.", "METIS Research Group, Facultad de Negocios y Tecnología, Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX), Madrid, Spain.", "Grupo de Investigación en Educación Física, Salud y Calidad de Vida (EFISAL), Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco, Chile.", "Department of Physical Activity Sciences, Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.", "Departamento de Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.", "Physical Activity Sciences Observatory (OCAF), Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile.", "Escuela de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago, Chile." ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 12, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Josivaldo De Souza-Lima" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Ciro Winckler" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Jurgi Olasagasti-Ibargoien" }, { "affs": [ 0, 3 ], "name": "Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Cristian Godoy-Tapia" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Maribel Parra-Saldías" }, { "affs": [ 6, 7 ], "name": "Daniel Duclos-Bastías" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Eugenio Merellano-Navarro" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "José Bruneau-Chávez" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Tomás Reyes-Amigo" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Claudio Farías-Valenzuela" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/anh6am84nshd6.bib", "cited_by": 1, "doi": "10.3389/fspor.2026.1969080", "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13714973", "id": "anh6am84nshd6", "issns": [ "2624-9367" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953665", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Original Research" ], [ "openalex", "2737|Physical Activity and Health" ] ], "openalex": "W7221757067", "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13714973?pdf=render", "pmcid": "PMC13714973", "pmid": "42953665", "published": "2026-10-14", "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/anh6am84nshd6.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:41Z", "native_id": "MED:42953665", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953665" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:22Z", "native_id": "PMC13714973", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1969080" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2737|Physical Activity and Health", "subfield": "physiology" } ], "title": "Similar perceived availability but lower use of physical activity spaces among Chilean adults with disabilities.", "title_text": "Similar perceived availability but lower use of physical activity spaces among Chilean adults with disabilities.", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:22Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/anh6am84nshd6", "venue": "Frontiers in sports and active living", "versions": [] }