Factors associated with quality of life among the elderly in Baglung District, Nepal

Abstract

This community based cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the factors associated with quality of life among the elderly in Baglung district, Nepal. The sample size was 403 elderly selected by multi-stage cluster sampling from Baglung district. The data were collected by face to face interview using structured questionnaires. The outcome variable was the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), while independent variables included socio-demographic factors and neighbourhood social and environmental factors. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the sample. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the association between independent variables and quality of life among the elderly.

The finding showed that approximately half of the elderly (51.1%) had high quality of life. Factors associated with the quality of life included age, gender, marital status, religious, family structure, social capital, neighbourhood aesthetic and crime. After adjusting other factors, high quality of life was detected among the elderly who were perceived high neighbourhood social capital (Adj OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.48-4.29), perceived high neighbourhood aesthetic (Adj OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.91-5.23) and perceived low crime (Adj OR = 3.94, 95% CI = 2.31-6.72) in neighbourhood comparing to their counterparts.

From the results of this study, interventions that can promote active aging, such as designing of age-friendly public spaces and pleasant social environments should be considered. Moreover, policy to improve quality of life towards the elderly should be seriously implemented.