Abstract
Abstract Aim: This study aimed to compare the quality of life perception among Boccia, Para-Athletics, and Wheelchair Tennis athletes. Methods: Eighty-six athletes with physical disabilities participated (Boccia = 41; Para Athletics = 14; Wheelchair Tennis = 31) in the study. The data were collected by applying the Brazilian Portuguese version of the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire and a short survey for demographics. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the relationship among the variables considering a confidence level of 95%. Results: Wheelchair Tennis athletes were older and Para-Athletics athletes were involved in this sport for a longer period. The majority of participants perceived positively their overall quality of life and health. Wheelchair Tennis athletes presented higher total quality of life perception scores in comparison to Boccia athletes. Regarding the specific domains of quality of life, Para-Athletics athletes presented higher scores in the psychological domain in comparison to Boccia and Wheelchair Tennis. Wheelchair Tennis presented higher social scores in comparison to Boccia and higher environment scores in comparison to Boccia and Para-Athletics. No differences were found in the physical domain in all groups. Conclusion: The evidence points to the influence of athletes’ demographics, the specific nuances of their impairments, and the Paralympic Sports practiced in perceiving the quality of life. Suggestions are made to further explore the factors that may influence the quality of life perception among Paralympic Sports athletes.
Highlights
The promotion of adapted physical activities for people with disabilities is a largely investigated[1,2]
When participants were stratified according to the sports practiced, Wheelchair Tennis (WT) athletes had the highest mean age among participants (39.35 ± 11.57), followed by PA (32.50 ± 10.37) and Boccia athletes (31.76 ± 9.36), respectively
Regarding the quality of life (QoL) perception across Paralympic Sports, WT presented the highest total perception score, which was significantly higher than Boccia
Summary
The promotion of adapted physical activities for people with disabilities is a largely investigated[1,2]. Among the various possibilities of such activities, adapted sports has been shown to be an effective alternative, considering the social, physical, and psychological contributions usually reported by the participants[3,4]. These benefits have been manifested through the enhancement of functional capacity, development of relationships, and increased self-esteem[5,6]. Recent investigations on the QoL, people with physical disabilities who are regularly involved in adapted sports pointed out to the better perception of these individuals in comparison to their inactive peers[4,8]. There is a need to investigate athletes with physical disabilities’ QoL perception considering the specific features and the common disabilities covered by each adapted sport
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