Health Domain Determing Quality of Life of Elderly People in Baglung

Abstract

Introduction: Quality of life reflects physical and mental health, emotional well being and social functioning of an individual’s life. Elderly is the period accompanied by decline in person’s physical and cognitive domain that is associated with decreased quality of life. The purpose of this study is to assess the health domains determining quality of life among elderly people in Baglung.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among conveniently selected 130 elderly people in Jaimini-10, Baglung and interviewed using the WHO QOL-BREF structured interview schedule. The data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 20.

Results: The finding revealed that nearly elderly people enjoyed the quality of life as excellent (60.8%) and good (39.2%). Regarding the domains of QOL in the WHOQOL-BREF, the highest mean score was for the environmental domain (Mean 30.04±2.04) and lowest for the social relation domain (Mean 7.42±0.75). The quality of life was more excellent among females (50.63%), currently married (79.74%) than in widowed (20.25%), living in nuclear family (56.96%) than in joint family (43.03%) and independent elderly (88.61%) than dependent elderly people (11.39%). There was significant association of quality of life to age (p = 0.004), marital status (p= 0.000), educational status (p=0.000), occupation (p=0.004), financial status(p = 0.002) and social status (p = 0.023).

Conclusions: This study concluded that three-fifths of respondents had excellent QOL. There was significant association of quality of life to age (p= 0.004), marital status (p= 0.000), educational status (p= 0.000), occupation (p= 0.004), financial dependency (p= 0.002) and social status (p= 0.023).