Health-related quality of life and long-term care needs among elderly individuals living alone: a cross-sectional study in rural areas of Shaanxi Province, China

BMC Public Health

Jue Wang³  Zhe Li¹  Lingxia Zeng²  Ning Liu³ 

[1] Shaanxi Branch of China Telecom, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, 710065, P.R. China;Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, 710061, P.R. China;The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Research Center of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University; National Engineering Research Center of Health Care and Medical Devices; Xi’an Jiaotong University Branch, Xi’an, , 710049, P.R. China

关键词: Elderly subjects living alone;    Long-term care;    SF-36;    Health-related quality of life;   

Others  :  1162368
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-13-313

 received in 2012-11-08, accepted in 2013-04-04,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

The number of elderly individuals living alone is rising, especially in rural areas of China, and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an increasing public health concern. However, little is known about factors that influence HRQoL and the need for long-term care services. The aim of the study was to identify these factors and the long-term care requirements of persons aged 60 and older living alone in rural areas of Shaanxi Province, China.

Methods

The study included 424 older subjects, selected by stratified random sampling. Logistic regression adjusted for age was conducted to analyze factors influencing HRQoL and the need for long-term care services. Pearson correlative analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between HRQoL score and long-term care needs.

Results

HRQoL among elderly subjects living alone declined with age in both males and females. The main diseases influencing HRQoL among the elderly were hypertension, cardiac disease, chronic bronchitis, neurological disease and cancer. Cataract disease was the most important factor related to HRQoL. This was followed by long-term care needs, living conditions, economic status, Cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and age. Factors affecting long-term care needs were economic status, education level, alcohol intake, living conditions, general health and age. HRQoL and long-term care needs among this elderly population were significantly correlated (r=−0.204, p<0.01).

Conclusions

For elderly persons living alone, factors such as chronic disease, lower income level and living in a rural area may limit their ability to form social relationships. Reducing the level of loneliness, with better care and support, may be helpful in improving their HRQoL. There is a need for an overall improvement in the planning, provision and financing of long-term care and psychogeriatric services for elderly individuals living alone in China.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Liu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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