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

Abstract

BackgroundThe 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.MethodsThe 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.ResultsHRQoL 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).ConclusionsFor 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.

Mediating effects on health-related quality of life in adults with osteoporosis: a structural equation modeling

“…This questionnaire consists of 19 items in four dimensions: emotional support (ES; 1-4) focused on caring, listening, love, and trust; appraisal support (AS; 5-7), affirming individual's actions and thoughts; informational support (IS; [8][9][10][11][12][13], providing the information of disease, suggestions of self-care; and tangible support (TS; [14][15][16][17][18][19] focused on providing assistance. Participants were asked to rate on a four-point scale (1 = none of the time, 2 = some or little of the time, 3 = occasionally or a moderate amount of time, 4 = most or all of the time) how frequently they had experienced certain symptoms or feelings during the previous week.…”

“…Other chronic disease (i.e., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cataract disease, etc.) and physical conditions (i.e., body mass index or comorbidities) are also associated with HrQoL in people with osteoporosis [4,13]. Individual characteristics such as age, economic status, or living conditions are associated with HrQoL in those with osteoporosis [13].…”

Effects of the Health Status and Health Behavior on Health-related Quality of Life of the Elderly Living Alone and Living with Their Families: Using Data from the 2014 Community Health Survey

“…그러나 현실적으로는 노인들에게 는 사회적인 지지가 부족하다는 것이 흔한 문제가 되고 있다 [12]. 따라서 노인의 삶의 질 향상을 위하여 우울감이 있거나 운 동이나 사회적 지지가 부족하다는 등의 취약점을 파악하여 이 에 대한 중재를 실시하는 것이 필요하다 [13,14]. 특히 독거노인 은 가족동거노인에 비해 신체적 ․ 정서적 ․ 경제적인 측면 등에 서 상대적으로 취약한 편에 속하고 [10,15,16], 사회적인 지지 수준도 더 낮기 때문에 [11,17], 자신이 긍정적인 지지를 받고 있다고 생각하는 경우가 적을 뿐만 아니라, 외로움을 더 많이 느끼게 된다.…”

Health-related quality of life among elderly individuals living alone in an urban area of Shaanxi Province, China: a cross-sectional study

“…Unadjusted comparisons indicated that compared with individuals living in rural areas, those living alone in urban areas had better HRQoL, as indicated by scores on most of the SF-36 subscales except physical function. 13 Previous research findings regarding differences in residential location are inconsistent. Some studies have found that elderly Chinese people living in rural areas have better mental and physical HRQoL than their urban counterparts, whereas other findings are similar to ours and indicate that elderly people living alone in rural areas 13,21 have poorer HRQoL than those in urban areas.…”

“…The study design was similar to that used in our previous survey of 424 elderly rural residents living alone. 13 In brief, this was a cross-sectional survey of people aged !65 years. The study cohort was obtained using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling procedure.…”