Quality of life perception of people with motor disability: differences between wheelchair dependent and ambulatory patients

ABSTRACT The routine of people with physical disabilities includes the use of different assistive technology resources that can aid in their physical and intellectual development, which directly affects their quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the life quality perception of Wheelchair users and non-Wheelchair users living in the municipality of Itajaí, in the state of Santa Catarina. This is a cross-sectional study with exploratory and quantitative analysis. The sample consisted of 163 participants, of whom 91 were wheelchair users and 72 were non-wheelchair users. Participants responded to a structured questionnaire with socioeconomic and health information and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, WHOQOL_bref, to measure quality of life. In the evaluation of the physical and psychological domains, no significant differences were observed between the two groups. Therefore, in these two areas, the perception of quality of life was not affected by the use of wheelchair. However, by examining the social relations and environment domain the perception of quality of life was significantly lower for wheelchair users with paresis, regarding the plegias and amputation.