The impact of adapted hiking on quality of life and self-efficacy in wheelchair users: pre-post study.

Introduction: While leisure activities have been shown to have bio-psycho-social benefits for individuals with disabilities, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the quantitative analysis of the effects of adapted hiking. This study, therefore, aims to fill this void by using standardised tools to evaluate the enhancement in quality of life and self-efficacy following a hiking experience in individuals with motor disabilities.

Methods: The intervention took place on natural paths by transporting Joëlette people who use wheelchairs for daily mobility. The rating scales were administered before the activity (T0) and three weeks after participation (T1). The outcomes were measured through the Wheelchair use Confidence Scale for manual wheelchair users (WheelCon-M), the Spinal Cord Injury-Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS), the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF), the Impact on Participation and Autonomy (IPA), the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised (CIQ-R) and the Moorong Self Efficacy Scale (MSES).

Results: 34 people were recruited and participated in the study. The participants had an average age of 41 years; 28 used manual wheelchairs, and 6 used electric wheelchairs in their daily lives. From the analysis of the Wilcoxon rank test, the scores of the WheelCon-M were found to be statistically significant.

Conclusions: This study significantly contributes to the scientific literature by providing quantitative data on the impact of adapted activities, particularly adapted hiking. The findings position adapted hiking as a valid intervention to support traditional rehabilitation treatments, specifically in enhancing confidence in wheelchair management.