Determinants of quality of life among urban poor elderly residing in a town of South-east district of National Capital Region: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Elderly people have a higher probability of suffering from multiple health disorders due to reduced physical and mental functions, thus affecting their quality of life (QOL). Better understanding of QOL might help to identify ways to improve the delivery of health services to elderly people. To assess the QOL and its various sociodemographic determinants among elderly residing in a town of south-east district of the National Capital Region. A cross-sectional study among 400 elderly individuals was conducted in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre (UHTC) of a medical college. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess the QOL of the study participants. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Unpaired t-test/analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for univariate analysis, and multivariate linear regression was used to identify the predictors of QOL across four domains. The mean QOL score for physical, psychological, social and environmental domains was 48.9, 47.1, 53.6 and 48.7, respectively. QOL score was 4.04 points (physical domain) and 5.31 points (psychological domain) lower among those who were more than 70 years, compared to those who were in the age group of 60-64 years. For the social relationship domain, the score was 4.24 points higher among 65-69 years old participants compared to 60-64 years. Poor QOL score among the elderly in the present study highlights the need for focused interventions that cater to this older cohort. Structured integration of the elderly health care programmes with the National Program for non-communicable diseases at the local level will help in catering to their health care needs and further QOL.