The impact of physical activity on the quality of life of a sample of Italian people with physical disability

Abstract

Physical activity promotes psychophysical health; however, to date, only few studies have investigated the association between regular physical activity and the quality-of-life perception and satisfaction in disabled persons. Our aim was to compare the quality and satisfaction for life, self-efficacy, and personal wellbeing of two samples of Italian people with physical disability (amputation, spinal cord dysfunction, neurological disability): one group with people who practiced regular physical activity (active group, n = 33) and the other group consisting of sedentary individuals (inactive group, n = 26). We compared the mean scores of the groups in the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQoL-BRIEF), the Personal Wellbeing Index, and the Satisfaction With Life and General Self-Efficacy scales. We also compared the impact of rehabilitation, sport, family support, income, job/school, and raising a family on social life and life quality by means of separate MANOVAs. Results of the WHOQoL showed better quality of life in the active than in the inactive group (overall QOL, 4.09 ± 0.7 vs. 3.50 ± 0.9; psychological domain, 72.09 ± 12.7 vs. 62 ± 21.6; social relationships domain, 76.54 ± 16.4 vs. 59.52 ± 24.2). No difference was found for satisfaction with health and life, personal wellbeing, and self-efficacy. The impact of sport on social life and quality of life was greater in active than in inactive individuals. Findings suggest positive effects of physical activity on the perception of quality of life in disabled people. However, they do not allow disentangling whether physical activity is practiced by patients with good quality of life or whether physical activity is responsible for better quality of life.

Can home-based training influence mood states and quality of life in Paralympic boccia athletes?

“…However, neither study considers whether aspects of mood and quality of life were modulated by the individual training performed by athletes, which is usually composed of frequency, intensity, and volume. Despite the aspects related to mood and quality of life, there is strong evidence of the effects of systematic sports practice on Paralympic athletes of different modalities (Ahmadi et al 2020;Biagini et al 2022). Therefore, this information remains unknown in the scenario of paralympic boccia athletes.…”