Abstracts

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating health condition by leading to the deterioration or loss of a number of functions depending on an intact spinal cord and consequently to limitations and restrictions in a variety of activities and domains of participation. Due to the decrease of physical capacity, people with SCI have increased risks to develop secondary conditions, which again possibly contribute to premature death. Accordingly, people with SCI still have a shorter life expectancy compared to the general population. Among the leading causes of death in SCI are cardiovascular diseases for which physical inactivity represents a significant risk factor. In general, physical activity (PA) can improve both mental and physical health in people with SCI. People participating in sport or other PAs show lower levels of mental disorders. Furthermore, regular leisure time PA and specific exercises can improve fitness and reduce the risks for secondary conditions. However, to achieve physical health benefits recommendations on PA suggest regular specific endurance and muscle strengthening training with a defined minimum of intensity and duration. In a number of studies in different countries it could be shown that PA levels are ra-ther low, in particular for some subgroups. Since it is likely that PA behavior depends on the culture and context in which people are living, PA levels may vary in different countries. As-sociates and determinants with PA levels have been investigated and identified mainly environmental factors to associate with participation in PAs. However, a comprehensive understanding of the associations with PA rarely exists yet due to the lack of a comprehensive model explaining PA in people with SCI. For the development and implementation of programs to promote PA country specific information is essential to target the programs to the specific needs of the SCI population. For Switzerland, no data on PA levels and according associations with PA levels for people with SCI exist to date. The general objective of this doctoral thesis is to describe PA levels and their associates in people with SCI in Switzerland for the first time. Specifically, it aims to describe LTPA (sport and exercise) levels and the achievement of recommendations on PA in the Swiss SCI population and to identify associations with PA levels by applying comprehensive models. The results should provide stakeholders responsible for the development of programs promoting PA in people with SCI in Switzerland with relevant information. The first study aimed to describe the frequency of participation in sport (PiS) and to identify correlates for PiS in persons with SCI in Switzerland. It could be shown that about 60% of the study sample (n=505) participated in sport at least once a week. However, PiS decreased significantly from the time before the onset of SCI to the time of the survey (P<.001). Sport levels were significantly lower in women than men for the time of the survey (P<.001), whereas no difference was observedAdvisors/Committee Members: Cieza, Alarcos (advisor).