Dependence caused by motor impairment negatively impacts on the quality of life.

1. - To assess the quality of life in people with motor disabilities

2. - To identify the most impaired quality of life domains in our population

3. - To describe the advantages as well as the limitations of using the WHOQOL-100 scale in our context

We carried out an epidemiological, cross-sectional and descriptive study in a population consisting of 60 consenting patients aged over 18, suffering from major motor disabilities. The following questionnaires were administered:

1. - A sociodemographic and identification questionnaire.

2. - A questionnaire designed to explore and characterize the motor disability.

3. - The WHO quality of life questionnairein its full 100-item version (WHOQOL-100).

Sixty people aged from 16 to 87 years were included. Only 8% were legally recognized invalid and received a disability allowance. Approximately one third of subjects did not have any health insurance, 53% of subjects lived at home and 47% lived in institutions. The overall mean score of quality of life for all domains ranged between 46.63 and 74.9. All domains of quality of life were altered except for spirituality. The level of impairment was comparable to that in stroke or in end-stage renal disease. The domain with the lowest score was sexual activity.

The quality of life of disabled people is multifactorial; it often entangles with many variables, especially the severity of the disability, the place of residence and the possibly associated depression.