Health Determinants of Life Satisfaction Among Elderly Persons: A multivariate Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Level of satisfaction is significantly influenced by health-related factors across human life course. Multidimensions of health and other factors such as religion and culture influence life satisfaction that differ across different societies. Prior research shows that there are variations in the relationship between health factors and life-satisfaction between Western and Asian countries. Nevertheless, it is still unknown to what extend health factors are related to life satisfaction in Brunei Darussalam—a country with small population but increasing in proportion of elderly population. This study aimed to explore health determinants of life satisfaction among elderly population in Brunei Darussalam. Methods: A cross-sectional study on a sample of 645 adults aged above 50 years, recruited nationally. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were applied. Results: A robust model (R2=49.3%, alpha>0.7) suggested that life satisfaction in this population could largely be explained by musculoskeletal pain, difficulty to perform daily activities, psychological and emotional issues, and family support. Gender has significant moderating effects on this relationship. Conclusion: Impacts of life satisfaction from health, social, cultural, and related perspectives were discussed. These findings in this research may contribute to ongoing multi-sectorial efforts to design a comprehensive model of elderly care to achieve high quality of life.