Physical Activity and Quality of Life/Subjective Well-Being in People with Disabilities.

The case for devoting resources to physical activity (PA) interventions and initiatives often hinges on demonstrating the impact of PA on people's quality of life (QOL)/subjective well-being (SWB). In PA-intervention studies involving children, youth and adults with disabilities, the effects tend to be inconsistent and relatively small. In this paper, I argue that the true effects of PA on QOL/SWB in people with disabilities have been masked by mis-conceptualization and mis-measurement of QOL/SWB, and a lack of theoretical specification of how PA may influence QOL/SWB. I begin with an overview of the QOL and SWB concepts followed by a review of quantitative and qualitative research on the effects of PA on QOL/SWB among people living with disabilities. Research from sport and exercise psychology that aims to explain how PA improves QOL/SWB is synthesized along with QOL theorizing from the parent discipline of psychology. In the final section, I integrate these perspectives into a Quality Participation Model of Physical Activity and Quality of Life/Subjective Well-Being with recommendations for researchers and interventionists. PA can make a substantive difference in the lives of people with disabilities; however, researchers and interventionists must be more careful when designing and assessing PA interventions to improve QOL/SWB.