Health-related quality of life in Chinese workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Studies of health-related quality of life among workers have generated varying results. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review to synthesize the scores of health-related quality of life measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire among Chinese workers and compare the results across gender, age, occupation and region. Methods Six databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, China Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, Web of science and Scopus were searched for relevant publications in both English and Chinese from their inception to February 2021. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established, and study and participant characters as well as health-related quality of life scores were extracted from included publications. Study quality was assessed by using the Crombie tool. The meta-analysis including individual publications used random-effects models. Subgroups analyses by gender, age, occupation and region were also conducted to explore the source of heterogeneity. Results One hundred thirty-nine out of 1437 potential publications were included. The pooled mean scores of health-related quality of life were 14.1 for the physical domain (95%CI: 13.9–14.3), 13.7 for the psychological domain (95%CI: 13.5–13.8), 14.0 for the social relationship domain (95%CI: 13.8–14.2), 12.3 for the environment domain (95%CI: 12.1–12.5). No significant statistical difference was found between the different subgroups. Publication bias was present in the independence domain and the pooled scores were corrected to 15.0 (95%CI: 14.6–15.5) using the trim and fill method. Sensitivity analysis suggested that the results of the meta-analysis were stable. Region might be a source of heterogeneity. Workers in northeast China reported higher scores in the social relationship domain, and those in the central region reported lower scores in the environmental domain. Conclusions Chinese workers reported lower scores in four health-related quality of life domains than the general population. Region might be a potential influencing factor for workers’ scores different, which needs further study. The pooled scores can served as benchmarks for workplace health promotion programes in Chinese workers and global occupational health studies.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Quality of Life among Diabetic Men Living with Erectile Dysfunction

Diabetic erectile dysfunction (DED) is one of the most frequently occurring complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) in men, and past studies have usually overlooked the effect DED has on quality of life (QoL). The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of DED and to investigate QoL, and the factors that influence QoL, in Thai men who are living with DED. Five hundred and eighty-two Thai men living with diabetes who enrolled in the diabetic and general medical outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in the northern part of Thailand were surveyed to determine the prevalence of DED, as well as QoL and its influencing factors, for men living with DED. The average age of the men was 58.2 years old (±SD = 10.1, range = 34.3 - 80 years old). DED was found in 417 out of the 582 men (71.5 %). The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) mean score was 17.03 (±SD = 3.47). The QoL was found to be at a moderate level (= 95.42 ±SD = 11.39). The QoL domains found to be at a good level were the psychological (= 23.84 ±SD = 3.42) and environmental domains (= 31.4 ±SD = 3.98), while domains found to be at a moderate level were the social relationships (= 10.77 ±SD = 1.93) and physical domains (= 24.9 ±SD = 3.13). The mean score of the QoL of men living with DED was lower than that of men without DED. The most important factor associated with poor QoL was severity of DED, while men who have a good QoL tend to have a higher education level and more frequent sexual intercourse (p < 0.05). The study showed that the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in Thai men living with DED was high. DED has a moderate impact on QoL, especially on the social relationship domain. The results suggest the importance of screening for DED in clinical settings for early detection of, and creating supportive strategies for treating men with, diabetes mellitus.

Effects of a Health Education and Research Participation Enhancement Program on Participation and Autonomy in Diverse Older Adults

Social engagement and autonomy are vital for life satisfaction among older adults. We measured multiple domains of social participation and autonomy in 120 adults over age 55 years that were part of an educational program at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed for differences between Black and White participants. White participants reported worse engagement in the family role domain and a lower Total Participation Score at posttest than pretest; however, scores returned to baseline levels by follow-up. Black participants reported better levels of participation in the social relationship domain at follow-up than at pretest. We found no evidence of qualitative differences between racial groups. Barriers to social participation and autonomy included challenges related to health, ageism, transportation, and mobility. Adequate housing, social support, socialization, and perception of individual utility contributed to feeling independent. Educational programs for older adults may provide an opportunity for increased social participation.

EFFECTS OF MEDITATION ON HEALTH

This paper intends to study the relevance of Meditation on health Normal healthy volunteers with age not less than 35 years and not more than 70 years. Residing at Delhi. Subjects were randomized using random numbers generated by a computer for a 2 group assignment. Measurements/Variables, WHO Quality of life – Brief. The response were collected from 50 respondents out of them 25 as control group and 25 as a practice group. Tests for Normality (Shapiro Wilk’s) carried out for all the data variables showed a normally distributed data. Paired ‘T’ test was used to analyze within group differences in the yoga and control groups and Independent samples ‘T’ test was used to analyze the between group effect. The present study measured the effectiveness of Brahmakumaris Raja Yoga meditation on Quality of life domains on normal healthy volunteers compared to control group. The study showed a significant improvement in yoga group on all the four domains of WHO QOL scale such as physical health, psychological domain, social relationship domain and environmental domain compared to control group. With this a simple and easy practice of regular Brahmakumaris Raja Yoga Meditation technique helps in improving the quality of life. Keywords: Meditation Health Raja Yoga

Factors Influencing Quality of Life among People Living with HIV in Coastal South India

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased life expectancy of HIV/AIDS patients, but the quality of life (QOL) still remains the same. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 356 people living with HIV (PLHIV) were interviewed to assess their QOL using WHOQOL-HIV BREF questionnaire. The association between QOL with sociodemographic, clinical and cohabitation status of the participants was tested using ANOVA and Student t-test, and p value < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Physical domain of QOL showed maximum score of 16.4, while a minimum score of 12.2 was seen in social relationship domain. Participants with higher socioeconomic status (SES) and self-motivated to take ART had shown better scores across all the domains of QOL ( p < .05). Conclusion: In our study, quality of life was high among males, younger patients, married participants, higher socioeconomic status, longer duration of ART, self-motivation to take ART, absence of opportunistic infection, and with higher CD4 count.