Secondary condition development and severity can be linked to the availability of health-promoting resources such as physical activity programs and nutritious foods. People with disabilities often face numerous barriers to participating in the physical and nutritional activities they need to maintain health and wellness. These include inaccessible exercise facilities and equipment, lack of professional knowledge in understanding the person's disability, inappropriate professional behavior, lack of transportation to get to an exercise facility, and failure on the part of workers to understand the needs of persons with disabilities. The Healthy People 2010 chapter, Disability and Secondary Conditions, suggests that the significantly lower rate of participation among people with disabilities may be related to environmental barriers, including architectural barriers, organizational policies and practices, discrimination, and social attitudes, and recommends that public health agencies begin to evaluate which environmental factors enhance or impede participation.

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