ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Cheraghi   P. (1)
Eskandari   Z. (2)
Bozorgmehr   Sh. (2)
Zanjari   N. (3)
Cheraghi   Z. (*4)






(*4) "Modeling of Non-Communicable Disease Research Center” and “Epidemiology Department, Health Faculty, Hamaden University of Medical Sciences, Hamaden, Iran
(1) Public Health Department, Public Health Faculty, Hamaden University of Medical Sciences, Hamaden, Iran
(2) Deputy of Health, Hamaden University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran
(3) Ageing Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Health Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Science, Pajhouhesh Four-way, Hamedan, Iran
Phone: +98 (81) 83830398
Fax: +98 (81) 38380509
z.cheraghi@umsha.ac.ir

Article History

Received:  December  18, 2018
Accepted:  April 8, 2019
ePublished:  September 21, 2019

BRIEF TEXT


Aging is a biological phenomenon that inevitable reflecting the accumulation of changes in an individual over time [1], including process changes in physical, psychological, and social dimensions.

... [2-11]. In a 2006 study by Swenson et al. in Sweden aimed to determine the quality of life of older people with cancer, the results showed that dependency, reduced economic power, and hopelessness were significantly associated with decreased quality of life [12]. In addition, a study in 2003 in Spain on quality of life for older people over 65 years showed that men had higher average quality of life than women [13]. The results of a study in the USA in 2004 on the quality of life of elderly living in the community showed that the age of over 75 years, low level of education, unemployment, and low income were strong predictors of poor quality of life [14]. … [15]. ... [16-20].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and its related factors among elderly people in Hamadan province.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study.

This research was conducted in all cities of Hamadan province (Hamadan, Malayer, Tuyserkan, Nahavand, Bahar, Razan, Famenin, Kabudarahang and Asadabad) in 2017 on elderly men and women over 60 years referred to the urban health centers and health homes.

238 people were selected as sample. … [21]. Sampling was done by stratified random sampling. Inclusion criteria included no incurable disease and severe mental disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Exclusion criterion was also considered as unwillingness for the interviewee.

Following coordination with the health authorities of each city, the selected urban health centers and rural health homes were visited on random days of the week and the questionnaires were completed through in-person interviews after obtaining written and verbal consent from the elderly referring to those centers. Elderly quality of life dimensions were assessed using the 36-item Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36). ... [22, 23]. After data collection and entering data into STATA 13 software, data were analyzed statistically. In the descriptive section, mean and standard deviation were reported. In addition, the frequency of the variables was presented along with their percentages. In the analytical section, independent T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to investigate the differences in the mean of the subgroups.

The majority of the sample included elderly women, illiterate elderly, and elderly women with spouse. Most of the elderly were also in the age group of 60-74 years (Table 1).The highest mean of quality of life was obtained in the physical dimension and pain subscale and the lowest average was in the physical dimension and the general health subscale (Table 2).The mean score of quality of life in the elderly of Hamadan was in the moderate and above (50 and above the total score of 100). In addition, the highest mean score of quality of life was obtained in Bahar city and the lowest score was in Kabudrahang city (Table 3).Regarding the physical health dimension, there was a significant difference between the mean score of physical functioning subscale by gender (p = 0.001), marital status (p = 0.017), age groups (p = 0.004) and educational level (p = 0.001), so that the mean score of quality of life in this subscale was higher in older men, elderly men, and younger elderly and elderly with higher education. There was a significant difference between the mean score of role impairment due to physical health in terms of gender (p = 0.01) and marital status (p = 0.008). There was a significant difference only in pain subscale according to marital status (p = 0.025). There was also a significant difference between the scores of quality of life in the subscales of general health by age (p = 0.04) and marital status (p = 0.003) (Table 4).In the mental health dimension, there was a significant difference in social functioning subscale by age groups (p = 0.036). In addition, gender (p = 0.026), marital status (p = 0.005) and educational level (p = 0.001) showed a significant difference in the mean score of mental problems. Mean score of role impairment subscale due to emotional reasons in terms of gender (p = 0.016), place of residence (p = 0.002) and level of education (p = 0.007) and also the mean score of energy and vitality subscale in terms of age (p = 0.004) and marital status (p = 0.005) showed significant differences (Table 5).

In the present study, all dimensions and subscales of quality of life of elderly in Hamadan province (except for general health) were above 50, which is in average acceptable range. This finding is consistent with the results of Panahi et al. [24], Hosseini et al. [25], and Salimi et al. [26], but it was not consistent with the results of a study by Farhadi et al. [27], in which adult quality of life was lower than moderate level. Moreover, the highest and the lowest quality of life scores were related to pain and general health subscales, respectively. These findings are in line with the findings of Salimi et al. [26], which examined the quality of life of elderly in Zanjan in 2014. ... [28]. … [29-31]. However, in the study of Ghafari et al. conducted in Qom, elderly women had a higher quality of life score [32]. ... [33, 41].

In future studies, it is recommended to examine the quality of life of the elderly in different ethnic groups with sufficient sample size.

One of the limitations of the present study was the fatigue of some elderly in answering the questions of the questionnaire. To solve this problem, different parts of the questionnaire were completed considering the rest time.

The mean of quality of life regarding two dimensions of physical and mental health and related sub-scales among the elderly in Hamadan province is moderate and acceptable.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Health Deputy Director of Hamadan who helped to obtain the information of the elderly and also the participants.

None declared.

This study was approved by the code of IR.UMSHA.REC.1394.494.

This study was financially supported by Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology.

TABLES and CHARTS

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