User satisfaction, community participation and quality of life among Chinese wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: a preliminary study

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between spinal cord injury (SCI), wheelchair users' satisfaction, perceptions of their community participation and quality of life (QoL).Thirty-one community wheelchair users with SCI were administered the Chinese version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (C-QUEST), the abbreviated Hong Kong version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHO QoL-BREF (HK)) and selected items of 'Participation Restrictions' and 'Environmental Factors' of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). Only a weak correlation was found between the C-QUEST services sub-scores and one ICF environmental factor, that is, health-related professionals (Spearman's r = 0.453; p < 0.05). The C-QUEST device sub-scores were also weakly correlated with four domain scores of the WHO QoL-BREF (HK) (Spearman's r = 0.412-0.567; p < 0.05). Social relationship, participation in leisure and driving activities had a moderate association with scores of the WHO QoL-BREF (HK) (-0.405 > Spearman's r > -0.583; p < 0.05). It is concluded that community participation (e.g. use of transportation) and human environment (e.g. friends and peers) were more related to QoL, than to users' satisfaction with a wheelchair. Further research with a larger sample is recommended to examine the variables related to SCI and QoL.