Assessment of physical health status and quality of life among Saudi older adults

Abstract

[Purpose] This study investigated physical health status and quality of life among older Saudi adults. [Subjects and Methods] Participants included older adults (N = 55) aged 60–90 years (mean = 67.9± 7.71) from a major hospital in Jeddah. Subjects completed surveys and evaluations including assessments of personal and socio-demographic characteristics, caregiver presence, personal habits, perceived health, primary physical and psychological complaints, physician-diagnosed chronic diseases, and functional capacity (i.e., activities of daily living). [Results] Results showed a significant positive correlation between age and ADL; age and memory problems, anxiety, and loneliness; and sleep disturbance and falls. Main factors contributing to quality of life decline were chronic disease, falls, sedentary lifestyle, sleep disturbances, and financial concerns. Participants with diabetes mellitus (58.18%) and hypertension (29.0%) had a very high fall rate. Participants engaged in minimal physical activity (63%), often due to bone and joint pain (90.0%), and led sedentary lives (69%). Single sensory impairments were significantly and independently linked to high depression risk and decreased self-sufficiency. [Conclusion] Healthy lifestyle and behavioral changes should be promoted through community-based health education programs for older Saudi adults. Chronic disease screening programs for the elderly population (especially diabetes and hypertension) are recommended.

Health-related quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…Aging has been identified as a key factor for T2DM [4,25,26] and impaired HRQoL [12,15,35,36]. Therefore, it is expected a negative association between age and HRQoL among patients with diabetes.…”

Period prevalence, risk factors and consequent injuries of falling among the Saudi elderly living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

“…A significantly increased risk of falling has been seen in elderly persons with diabetes and hypertension. 6 The risk is also significantly increased in those with lower limb weakness, balance/gait problems, dizziness and visual disorders. 7 8 Education plays a big role in preventing or decreasing the incidence of falls, especially among elderly people.…”

Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in People With Chronic Pain: Identification of Groups Using Clusters Analysis

“…Pain was present at more than 1 location in 45.4% of the subjects, with the most frequent sites being the limbs and/or joints. In addition, about 30% of the participants felt sad or very sad, 29.3% felt anxious or very anxious, 24.4% had been on sick leave because of their pain at least once in the preceding year, 12% had left or lost their job because of their pain during that period, and 47.2% considered that their pain affected their families or their relationships with friends (26.3%; see Table 1).…”

“…Older age was associated with greater limitations, as expected. Several studies carried out in older people have shown considerable ADL problems in these subjects, and have explained that single sensory impairments (either visual or auditory) are significantly and independently linked with a high risk for depression and decreased self‐sufficiency in ADLs, which can adversely affect mobility and the ability to perform ADLs . Furthermore, it seems reasonable to think that the physiological deterioration due to age can be increased or accelerated by the presence of pain that, on many occasions, is due to the musculoskeletal pathology that frequently affects this population …”