- Title
- Quality of life among individuals with rugby-related spinal cord injuries in South Africa : A descriptive cross-sectional study
- Creator
- Badenhorst, Marelise; Brown, James; Lambert, Mike; van Mechelen, Willem; Verhagen, Evert
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/165981
- Identifier
- vital:13349
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020890
- Identifier
- ISBN:2044-6055
- Abstract
- Objectives Rugby-related spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are rare but life altering and traumatic events. Little is known about the long-term consequences and outcomes of players who have sustained these injuries. This study investigated current quality of life (QoL) and factors associated with QoL, among individuals with rugby-related SCI in South Africa, by using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. Design Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting Rugby-related SCI population of South Africa, as captured in the BokSmart/Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players' Fund database. Participants Ninety (n=90) of the 102 eligible players on the database agreed to participate in the study. Main outcome measure The relationship between QoL, as measured with the WHO Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and specific independent variables (demographic information, level of independence and participation in various activities and life roles) was investigated. Variables that were significantly associated with QoL in bivariate analyses were included in multiple linear regression analyses. Results The mean score and SD of the WHOQOL-BREF was 15.1±2.3 arbitrary units. Participation (an ICF framework construct) and income were significantly associated with overall QoL (p<0.001). Participation was the only variable significantly associated with all QoL subdomains (p<0.001). Additionally, number of health concerns, type of healthcare (public vs private) and level of education were significantly associated with various QoL domains (p<0.001). Conclusions On average, these individuals with rugby-related SCI presented with higher QoL scores than other comparable SCI studies. However, lower levels of participation and income, certain levels of education, increased health concerns and use of public healthcare were associated with lower levels of QoL. Sporting bodies have a responsibility to optimise player welfare, by acting on the modifiable factors associated with QoL.
- Publisher
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Relation
- BMJ Open Vol. 8, no. 6 (2018), p. 1-12
- Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright © 2018 Author(s). This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial.
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences; Adult neurology; Rehabilitation medicine; Sports medicine
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Hits: 3418
- Visitors: 3224
- Downloads: 274
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Published version | 531 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |