THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL AND TYPE OF SPORT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH SATISFACTION OF THE DISABLED WHO PRACTICE SPORT

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the quality of life and health satisfaction with the level of sport performance in individuals practicing wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, rowing and individual sports. The research included 192 athletes with disabilities, aged 19 to 49, from all over Poland. Males accounted for almost 80% of the subjects. The group of respondents included people who practice either competitive (classified) (n=66) (World Champions, Polish Champions) or amateur (unclassified) (n=126) sports. The standardized questionnaire of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and a self-designed questionnaire were used. Nonparametric statistics were applied in the analyses of the results. The value of p≤0.05 was assumed to be statistically significant. It was found that amateurs felt greater health satisfaction and assessed their quality of life higher than the Polish Champions (p≤0.05). However, in the environmental domain, it was the Polish Champions who achieved better results (p≤0.05). In the social, physical and psychological domains, higher scores were achieved by amateur athletes as compared to the Polish and World Champions (p≤0.05). Wheelchair basketball athletes were more satisfied with their health and quality of life, as well as other domains (apart from environmental), as compared to wheelchair rugby and rowing athletes (p≤0.05). People aged 25-34, with education above the secondary level, employed, felt best about their quality of life. Improving the quality of life should be an important goal in the rehabilitation and training process of people with disabilities practicing sports.