How does playing adapted sports affect quality of life of people with mobility limitations? Results from a mixed-method sequential explanatory study

Abstract

BackgroundOccupations, including physical activity, are a strong determinant of health. However, mobility limitations can restrict opportunities to perform these occupations, which may affect quality of life. Some people will turn to adapted sports to meet their need to be involved in occupations. Little is known, however, about how participation in adapted sports affects the quality of life of people with mobility limitations. This study thus aimed to explore the influence of adapted sports on quality of life in adult wheelchair users.MethodsA mixed-method sequential explanatory design was used, including a quantitative and a qualitative component with a clinical research design. A total of 34 wheelchair users aged 18 to 62, who regularly played adapted sports, completed the Quality of Life Index (/30). Their scores were compared to those obtained by people of similar age without limitations (general population). Ten of the wheelchair users also participated in individual semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions regarding how sports-related experiences affected their quality of life.ResultsThe participants were 9 women and 25 men with paraplegia, the majority of whom worked and played an individual adapted sport (athletics, tennis or rugby) at the international or national level. People with mobility limitations who participated in adapted sports had a quality of life comparable to the group without limitations (21.9 ± 3.3 vs 22.3 ± 2.9 respectively), except for poorer family-related quality of life (21.0 ± 5.3 vs 24.1 ± 4.9 respectively). Based on the interviews, participants reported that the positive effect of adapted sports on the quality of life of people with mobility limitations operates mainly through the following: personal factors (behavior-related abilities and health), social participation (in general and through interpersonal relationships), and environmental factors (society’s perceptions and support from the environment). Some contextual factors, such as resources and the accessibility of organizations and training facilities, are important and contributed indirectly to quality of life. Negative aspects, such as performance-related stress and injury, also have an effect.ConclusionsPeople with mobility limitations playing adapted sports and people without limitations have a similar quality of life. Participation in adapted sports was identified as having positive effects on self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, participation in meaningful activities, society’s attitude towards people with mobility limitations, and physical well-being. However, participants stated that this involvement, especially at higher levels, had a negative impact on their social life.

Wheelchair tennis, from health to competitive analysis: A narrative review

“…Regular physical activity is associated with multiple positive outcomes among individuals with physical disabilities, improving quality of life (Crawford, Hollingsworth, Morgan, & Gray, 2008), and playing adapted sports is a proven effective activity for improving the health status and quality of life of people with physical impairments (Côté-Leclerc et al, 2017;Yazicioglu, Yavuz, Goktepe, & Tan, 2012). For that reason, fitness should be an integral part of the daily routine for individuals with a musculoskeletal or neurological disability.…”

How to write the discussion section of a scientific article

“…The participants in the qualitative component also had different characteristics, which allowed us to explore a variety of experiences. However, the number of participants in the study was relatively small and they were mostly French-speakers, which might limit the transferability of the results to a particular cultural context…" (Côté-Leclerc et al, 2017).…”

Assistive activity technology as symbolic expressions of the self

“…Earlier research on adapted physical activity and participation has demonstrated that it affects participation both at an individual and at a social level. Participating in an adapted sport has a positive impact on psychological factors, especially behaviour-related abilities, including self-esteem, self-efficacy and sense of belonging [18]. Playing an adapted sport also has the potential to influence the individual's quality of life and self-esteem by changing society's attitudes towards those with mobility limitations (ibid.).…”