1Final year student, Krishna college of physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Karad.
2Assistant professor, Department of neurosciences, Krishna college of physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Karad.
Title: Awareness Of Role Of Physiotherapy On Quality Of Life In Rural Area
Physiotherapy improves mobility, function, and quality of life through prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Yet awareness in rural areas is low, where most people with disabilities live. In India, physiotherapy is still developing and often misunderstood as only exercise or massage. With only about 37% of rural populations aware of its benefits, this study aims to assess and increase knowledge of physiotherapy's role in enhancing health and daily functioning, encouraging participation to improve quality of life.
Method: The current study was a survey-based cross-sectional study. The study had 183 participants in all. Two questionnaires were used to collect data: a validated 7-item questionnaire to assess participants awareness of physiotherapy and the SF-36 questionnaire to assess quality of life. Together, these instruments made it possible to conduct a thorough evaluation of the participants' health-related quality of life as well as their understanding of physical therapy.
Result: The research indicated that a significant number of individuals in rural areas have moderate to poor health, encountering physical limitations in their everyday activities, with 40% of them suffering from anxiety or depression. In spite of these health challenges, merely 23.9% had access to physiotherapy, while more than half were not informed about its purpose, and knowledge of specific treatments was quite limited. This underscores a significant discrepancy between health requirements and the uptake of physiotherapy, emphasizing the pressing need for community-focused awareness initiatives and improved integration of physiotherapy services into the healthcare systems in rural areas.
Conclusion: Even though 40–45% of people in rural areas are aware of physiotherapy, only 23.9% have actually used its services, according to the study. Many face mental and physical difficulties, and few people are aware of the available therapies and when to see a physiotherapist. The worse quality of life in the rural population is probably a result of this awareness and use discrepancy.
Keywords: Physiotherapy, rural awareness, quality of life, functional capacity, rehabilitation, mobility improvement, pain management, healthcare access, chronic illness management, disability care, and preventive healthcare.
How to cite this article: Khatkale PA, Shah M. Awareness of Role of Physiotherapy on Quality of Life in Rural Area. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(16s): 386-394. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.16s.41
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None