Sociodemographic variations in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among elderly individuals in an urban locality in India

A Community-Based Study on Functional Disability and Its Associated Factors Among Elderly Individuals in a Rural Setting in Northeastern India

Background

Functional disability in older adults is common and adversely impacts the quality of life. Given the paucity of population-based data, the present analysis attempted to determine the prevalence and factors associated with functional disability in basic activities of daily living (ADLs) among the elderly population in a rural setting of Northeastern state of India

Methods

A total of 430 elderly were recruited in a population-based cross-sectional study among elderly individuals (≥60 years) during the period 2013-2016 in rural areas of the Dibrugarh district of Northeastern India. The Barthel index was used to measure ADL. Anyone with a Barthel index score <100 (or having limitations in one or more ADL items) were considered as having a functional disability. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and the binary logistic regression analysis were used to examine the factors associated with functional disability.

Results

Overall, 43.7% % (Male 42.9%, Female 44.5%) of the participants had a functional disability. Increasing age, being widowed, having no formal education, being underweight (body mass index (BMI)<18.5 kg/m²), and increasing numbers of morbidities were significantly associated with functional disability among the elderly in this study in age and gender-adjusted logistic regression analysis. Being ≥80 years was associated with a three-fold greater risk (OR=31.72, 95% CI=1.3-6.91) of functional disability than the youngest age group (60-69 years). On the other hand, the presence of more than five morbidities was associated with a nearly 20 times increased risk (OR=19.61, 95% CI=9.01-42.68) than those with zero to two morbidities.

Conclusion

A high proportion of the rural elderly residents of Dibrugarh had a functional disability. The study provides epidemiological evidence of the risk factors of functional disability in this setting. This epidemiological information may be useful for developing prevention strategies to reduce the burden of functional disability.

Relation of health-related quality of life with abnormal weight: A cross-sectional study prior to the weight reduction intervention

Objective

Obesity is a major health issue that is well-documented association with morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and abnormal body mass index (BMI) levels.

Materials and Methods

This descriptive study assessed 134 healthy individuals with abnormal BMI aged 18-39 years, clustered into three weight categories. The Short-form (SF)-36 Questionnaire was used for measuring of HRQOL.

Results

Linear-regression analyses discovered the negative correlation between BMI and the general health element of HRQL, however, a positive relation to role emotional dimension. But BMI was not associated with other six dimensions, and also with physical and mental component summary and with total health quality of life.

Conclusion

BMI was an important detriment factor for the general health dimension of HRQL with regression analysis. The higher grade of abnormal BMI had a negative influence on general health and positive effect on the role emotional dimension of HRQOL.