Health-related quality of life and co-morbidities among older adults in Bhutan

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Nidup Dorji ◽  
Michael P. Dunne ◽  
Charrlotte Seib ◽  
Sibnath Dep

Introduction: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multi-dimensional construct that assesses an individual’s and group’s perceived physical and mental health over time. Measurement of HRQoL is an important medical outcome study and its study among older adults in Bhutan is limited. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study aimed to assess HRQoL and its sociodemographic and health correlates, among older adults in Bhutan. Data for this study was collected from the four major towns of Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Gelephu, and Samdrupjongkhar, Bhutan, from November 2014 - February 2015, using structured questionnaire with face-to-face interview. A total of 337 Bhutanese older adults participated in this study. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical package for social science version 21.0. Results: The overall mean score for the HRQoL among older adults in this study was 0.67 (SD: 0.13) significantly different between the gender (p-value<0.001). A significantly low scores inthe areas of role limitations (p<0.05), pain (p<0.01), mental health (p<0.001), and vitality (p<0.05) of the HRQoL was observed for the female gender. Frequent back pain (67.1%), memory decline (60.5%), depression (46.0%) mobility impairment (45.4%), insomnia (42.1%), and problem affecting breathing (31.8%) were common health problems and were significantly higher among the female gender. Better health conditions was positively related with better HRQoL (p-value<0.001). Conclusions: Low HRQoL was reported higher among female gender and was linked to multiple and cumulative health morbidities. Members of the family, community and healthcare providers could incorporate holistic approach to foster positive health outcomes and HRQoL of the older adults.

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen ◽  
Hyun-Jun Kim ◽  
Chengshi Shiu ◽  
Jayn Goldsen ◽  
Charles A. Emlet

Obesity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 669-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Takemoto ◽  
Bruce M. Wolfe ◽  
Corey L. Nagel ◽  
Janne Boone‐Heinonen

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S515-S516
Author(s):  
Lan Doan ◽  
Yumie Takata ◽  
Karen Hooker ◽  
Carolyn Mendez-Luck ◽  
and Veronica L Irvin

Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NHPI) older adults, and AAs/NHPIs have not enjoyed decreases in CVD mortality rates, as have non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Heterogeneity exists in the prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors for AAs/NHPIs. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) reflect physical and mental burdens beyond clinical burdens, which may help explain discrepant CVD rates and risk factors in AAs/NHPIs. We examined HRQOL among NHW and AA/NHPI Medicare Advantage enrollees with and without a CVD (i.e., coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke) using the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey. The sample included 655,914 older adults who were 65 years or older, self-reported as AA/NHPI or NHW, and were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2011-2015. HRQOL was measured using the Veterans RAND 12-item survey and is composed of a physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS), where higher scores reflect better physical and mental health, respectively. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore HRQOL and CVD prevalence. Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Other Asian, and NHPI subgroups had lower overall PCS, and all AA/NHPI subgroups had lower overall MCS, compared to NHWs. Among those reporting having any CVD, PCS varied by CVD outcomes and subgroups, whereas MCS was lower for all CVD outcomes and for all but one AA/NHPI subgroups (Japanese), compared to NHWs. Attention to mental health for AA/NHPI older adults could be important for the equitable realization of healthy aging.


Author(s):  
Mehdi Rezaei Far ◽  
Farzad Faraji-Khiavi

Background: Nurses face a lot of stress in their jobs, and the quality of life has a significant impact on the quality of their services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between general health and the quality of life conditions in nurses working in hospitals affiliated with Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted in 2017 on nurses working in educational hospitals in Ahvaz. The sample size was 265. A categorized random sampling was used for the research The collected data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, ANOVA, regresson and Pearson correlation tests. Data collection tools included the general health questionnaire (GHQ) and the questionnaire on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Results: Nurses had fairly good general health (23.9 ± 12.4) and their health-related quality of life was moderate (60.29 ± 16.07). Their physical health (63.4 ± 22.5) was found better than their mental health (61.7 ± 20.3) as a factor in the health-related quality of life states. General health had a strong and negative correlation with the quality of life associated with physical health (P-value < 0.001 and r = - 0.61) and the quality of life associated with mental health (P-value < 0.001 and r = - 0.68). Conclusion: Many aspects of health-related quality of life are influenced by general health factors. Therefore, it is recommended that prevention, identification, and treatment of physical and psychological problems and factors affecting the quality of life be considered as a priority, leading to an improvement in nurses’ quality of life.


Author(s):  
Gerard Dunleavy ◽  
André Comiran Tonon ◽  
Ai Ping Chua ◽  
Yichi Zhang ◽  
Kei Long Cheung ◽  
...  

This study aims to explore if objectively and subjectively measured sleep parameters are associated with physical and mental health-related quality of life in a multiethnic working population in Singapore. We performed a cross-sectional analysis with data from 329 full-time employees enrolled in a workplace cohort study in Singapore. The Short-Form 36v2 (SF-36v2) survey was used to assess health-related quality of life, in terms of physical and mental health. Subjective and objective sleep parameters were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and wrist actigraphy, respectively. Generalized linear modeling was performed to examine the association between sleep parameters and health-related quality of life. After adjusting for confounders, subjectively measured sleep disturbances were associated with a lower physical health-related quality of life, whereas higher, objectively measured sleep efficiency was associated with greater physical health-related quality of life. Subjectively measured daytime dysfunction was associated with impaired mental health-related quality of life. Using both objective and subjective measurements of sleep, the current study suggests that there is an association between sleep and health-related quality of life. Workplace health-promotion planners in Singapore should consider programmes that educate workers on better sleep hygiene practices in an effort to improve sleep and health-related quality of life.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholam Hossein Alishiri ◽  
Noushin Bayat ◽  
Ali Fathi Ashtiani ◽  
Seyed Abbas Tavallaii ◽  
Shervin Assari ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S877-S877
Author(s):  
Anjana Muralidharan ◽  
Clayton H Brown ◽  
Richard W Goldberg

Abstract Older adults with serious mental illness (i.e., schizophrenia spectrum disorders and affective psychoses) exhibit marked impairments across medical, cognitive, and psychiatric domains. The present study examined predictors of health-related quality-of-life and mental health recovery in this population. Participants (N=211) were ages 50 and older with a chart diagnosis of serious mental illness and a co-occurring medical condition, engaged in outpatient mental health services at a study site. Participants completed a battery of assessments including subtests from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), the 24-Item Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), and the Maryland Assessment of Recovery Scale (MARS). Multiple linear regression analyses, with age, race, gender, and BMI as covariates, examined number of current medical conditions, RBANS, and BASIS as predictors of quality-of-life and recovery. Significant predictors of physical health-related quality-of-life (R-squared=.298, F(9,182)=8.57, p&lt;.0001) were number of medical conditions (β=-1.70, p&lt;.0001), BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-4.84, p&lt;.0001), and BASIS-Psychosis (β=2.39, p&lt;.0008). Significant predictors of mental health-related quality-of-life (R-squared=.575, F(9,182)=27.37, p&lt;.0001) were RBANS (β=0.03, p=.05), BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-6.49, p&lt;.0001), BASIS-Relationships (β=-3.17, p&lt;.0001), and BASIS-Psychosis (β=-1.30, p=.03). Significant predictors of MARS (R-squared=.434, F(9,183)=15.56, p&lt;.0001) were BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-4.68, p=.002) and BASIS-Relationships (β=-9.44, p&lt;.0001). To promote holistic recovery among older adults with serious mental illness, integrated interventions are required. For example, to improve physical health-related quality-of-life, one should target depression and psychotic symptoms as well as medical illness burden. To improve mental health-related quality-of-life, depression symptoms and interpersonal functioning may be key targets, as well as neurocognitive function.


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