Associations between perceptions of environmental barriers and participation in persons with late effects of polio

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the association between perceived environmental barriers and perceived participation in everyday life situations encountered by people with late effects of polio. A sample of 45 persons with clinically verified late effects of polio answered the Swedish versions of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPA-S) and the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF-S). The relationships between the perceived occurrence of a broad range of environmental barriers and perception of participation in life situations and problems with participation were explored. The majority of the respondents perceived that they encountered environmental barriers, but their occurrence was generally infrequent and their magnitude tended to be low. The barriers identified in the physical/structural subscale were generally most strongly related to problems with participation, compared with the four other environmental subscales. A high frequency of never encountering environmental barriers in the three subscales physical/structural, work and education, and policies in CHIEF-S were significantly related to more reports of good participation in IPA-S. These associations indicate that the participation of those with late effects of polio is influenced by their perception of the barriers they encounter. Further studies of these concepts can provide a greater understanding of disabilities and help us to promote participation in life situations for people with late effects of polio.