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Review
. 2023 Sep 7;11(18):2480.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare11182480.

Benefits of Adaptive Sport on Physical and Mental Quality of Life in People with Physical Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis

Eva Isidoro-Cabañas  1 , Francisco Javier Soto-Rodríguez  2   3 , Francisco Manuel Morales-Rodríguez  4 , José Manuel Pérez-Mármol  5   6
Affiliations
Review

Benefits of Adaptive Sport on Physical and Mental Quality of Life in People with Physical Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis

Eva Isidoro-Cabañas et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Adaptive sports could produce multiple health benefits in people with physical disabilities. The aim is to evaluate if adaptive sports practice has an influence on physical and mental quality of life. A meta-analysis was performed using electronic databases and other sources. A within- and between-group analysis for physical and mental quality of life was conducted. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was used as a measure of the mean size effect. The statistical heterogeneity, the risk of bias, and the quality of evidence were evaluated. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria and four of them were included in the meta-analysis. In mental quality of life, significant differences were observed in the within-group analysis (SMD = 0.71, p < 0.001) and between people practicing adaptive sports and those not engaging in them (SMD = 0.62, p = 0.009). In physical quality of life, significant differences were also found between pre- and post-practice of adaptive sports (SMD = 1.03, p = 0.007). The engagement in adaptive sports showed a positive impact on the mental quality of life among adults with physical disabilities. However, the positive effect of adaptive sports practice on physical quality of life was shown only in the pre-post-test analysis. Further studies are required to validate the obtained findings.

Keywords: adapted sport; adaptive sport; adult; physical disability; young people.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Literature search and screening process—PRISMA flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Results of between-group analysis for physical quality of life [13,14,15].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of within-group analysis for physical quality of life [13,14,15,24].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Results of between-group analysis for mental quality of life [13,14,15].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Results of within-group analysis for mental quality of life [13,14,15,24].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Risk of bias graph: review authors’ judgments about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Risk of bias summary: review authors’ judgments about each risk of bias item for each included study [13,14,15,24]. Symbol interpretation: Red (-): high risk of bias; yellow (?): unclear risk of bias; green (+): low risk of bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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