Assessment of domain wise quality of life among elderly population and its determinants in a rural setting of Bihar, India
International Journal of Development Research
Assessment of domain wise quality of life among elderly population and its determinants in a rural setting of Bihar, India
Introduction: Although population ageing is recognised international reality, quality of life (QOL) among elderly is still a neglected issue especially in developing countries like India.
Objectives: The present cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess the QOL and its associated factors among elderly population.
Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 elderly subjects in rural population of Katihar, Bihar. Data on QOL was assessed by World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF).A pre-designed, pre-tested semi structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and complete clinical examinations were performed among the study subjects to assess chronic morbid conditions.
Results: The mean scores of QOL domains was maximum in physical health (40.60±8.33), followed by psychological domain (33.77±8.40).The lowest mean score was seen in social relationship domain (25.35±12.12). Financial independency and higher socioeconomic status were found to be the determinants of better QOL score for physical domain while scores for environmental domain were significantly higher among those who were engaged in any type of occupation.(p<0.05)
Conclusion: QOL score among elderly were below average, while QOL scores for social relationship domain was lowest. Empowering the elderly financially might help in improving the QOL among the elderly population. Also health education with comprehensive approach might have additive impact in increasing QOL among elderly.