The purpose of the first study was to investigate the effect of manual and power wheelchairs
on the frequency of community activities of individuals with varying levels of spinal cord injury
(SCI). One hundred and five individuals with SCI who use wheelchairs for mobility provided
participated in the final analysis. A written survey that recorded assistive technology (AT) usage
in daily activities, called Participation Survey/Mobility (PARTS/M), was distributed among
clients from Pittsburgh and Saint Louis. Results showed that individuals who use power
wheelchairs visit their friends and dine out much less than individuals who use manual
wheelchairs. In addition, individuals with tetraplegia reported going to the doctors office less
frequently than individuals with paraplegia. Therefore, individuals with SCI with varied level of
injury and different mobility devices, experience different types of frequencies of public places
and community participation.
The purpose of the second study was to investigate the effect of wheelchairs, the physical and
social barriers on community participation among individuals with SCI. One hundred and five
individuals with SCI who use wheelchairs for mobility participated in the data analyses. A
written survey, called Facilitators and Barriers Survey/Mobility (FABS/M) was distributed
among clients from Pittsburgh and Saint Louis. Results showed that a greater number of
individuals with tetraplegia who use power wheelchairs (TP) reported that lack of personal
assistance as a perceived social barrier that limits their participation in their place of employment
ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF WHEELCHAIR ON INDIVIDUALS WITH
SPINAL CORD INJURY USING A MEASURE OF PARTICIPATION
Eliana C. Ferretti, PhD
University of Pittsburgh, 2007
when compared to those individuals with paraplegia who use manual wheelchairs (PM),
individuals with paraplegia who use power wheelchairs (PP) and individuals with tetraplegia
who use manual wheelchairs (TM). A greater number of individuals with TM and PM reported
that the place of employment does not limit them compared to those PP and TP. In addition, a
greater number of individuals with PP and TP indicated that lack of personal assistance as a
perceived social barrier that limits their participation in the grocery store when compared to
those with PM and TM. Furthermore, the perceived influence of the physical environment on
participation in activities within the home and community was also demonstrated.
The purpose of the third study was to investigate if the acquisition of new manual and power
wheelchairs delivered by specialized AT clinic will change the frequency of participating in
activities within the community of individuals with SCI and reduce the number of perceived
limitations to participation over time. No significant difference between participants who
received new wheelchairs delivered by specialized AT clinic and those who have received new
equipment from a non-specialized AT clinic on the perception of frequency of community
activities, satisfaction of community activities and number of physical and social barriers were
found. The process of wheelchair service delivery has been shown to play an essential role in
wheelchair related outcomes. However, the wheelchair service delivery may just be one of the
factors that affect the individuals community participation.
The purpose of the fourth study was to investigate if there is a correlation between mobility
characteristics (distance traveled, speed, number of starts and stops and drive time) and the
frequency of community activities of individuals with SCI as measured by the PARTS/M and
data logger device. A significant negative correlation (r=-.783, p=.013) was found between
number of start and stops during week days and community participation scores, indicating that
individuals who use power wheelchairs who have less number of starts and stops have higher
level of community participation. A significant positive correlation (r=.772, p=.015) was found
between daily drive minutes during week days and community participation scores, indicating
that individuals who use power wheelchairs who drive their wheelchair more have higher level
of community participation. In addition, in the manual wheelchair group, a significant positive
correlation was found between speed during week days (r=.760, p=.047) and community
participation, indicating that individuals who travel at a higher speed have higher levels of
community participation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-11112007-161804 |
| Date | 19 December 2007 |
| Creators | Ferretti, Eliana Chaves |
| Contributors | David Gray, Shirley Fitzgerald, Rosemarie Cooper, Rory Cooper, Michael L. Boninger, MD |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-11112007-161804/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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