Longitudinal assessment of the health-related quality of life among older people with diabetes: results of a nationwide study in New Zealand

Abstract

Background: The current work examined experiences of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) among older adults with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) over time compared to those without a diagnoses DM. Methods: The sample was drawn from six biennial waves of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement survey, a prospective population-based cohort study of older adults 55-70 years at baseline. Data on sociodemographic factors, health behaviours, chronic disease diagnoses and physical and mental HRQOL (SF-12v2) were obtained using six biennial surveys administered 2006-2016. Generalised Estimating Equation models, adjusted for timeconstant and -varying factors, were employed to compare HRQOL and its determinants over time for older adults with and without a diagnosis of DM. Results: DM was negatively associated with physical HRQOL [β (95% CI) − 7.43 (− 8.41, − 6.44)] with older adults affected by DM reporting scores 7.4 points lower than those without DM. Similarly, the mean Mental HRQOL score was lower among those affected by DM [β = − 4.97 (− 5.93, − 4.01)] however, scores increased over time for both groups (p < 0.001). Greater age, more chronic conditions, sight and sleep problems, obesity, lower annual income, and fewer years of education were predictors of poorer HRQOL among older adults.Conclusions: Older adults affected by diabetes experienced poorer physical and mental HRQOL compared to those not affected when controlling for a range of sociodemographic and health related indices. A management aim must be to minimise the gap between two groups, particularly as people age.

Food insecurity and health outcome nexus: empirical evidence from the informal sector enterprises in Bangladesh

“…However, it has been found that age positively correlates with workers' mental health. This result is in line with the research by Lau et al [ 44 ] and Shamshirgaran et al [ 68 ]. According to the findings of Lau et al [ 44 ], older people had poorer physical health than those aged 18 to 34 years, but older people had better mental health related quality of life.…”

“…According to the findings of Lau et al [ 44 ], older people had poorer physical health than those aged 18 to 34 years, but older people had better mental health related quality of life. Similarly, the findings of Shamshirgaran et al [ 68 ] supported the notion that physical health deteriorated with age while mental health improved. Numerous empirical studies have supported the paradox of declining physical health but improving mental health with age, as was discussed by Thomas et al [ 72 ].…”

The Influence of Family Caregiver Knowledge and Behavior on Elderly Diabetic Patients’ Quality of Life in Northern Thailand

“…In another study in Indonesia, the median overall QoL score of people over the age of 60 was 87 [ 39 ]. Older adults with a diagnosis of DM experienced poorer health-related QoL, especially regarding physical and mental health, compared to those without a diagnosis of DM [ 10 , 40 ]. These results emphasize that body deterioration and diabetes in the elderly have an impact on QoL.…”

“…Furthermore, diabetes incidence and mortality rates have increased in the northern area of Thailand, with the highest rates in Chiang Mai province [ 8 ]. Diabetes therapy necessitates self-care or self-management, which should focus on improving the overall health and well-being of diabetics [ 9 , 10 ]…”

Trajectories of quality of life in people with diabetes mellitus: results from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe

“…This understanding is especially important as an increasing number of studies utilize QoL as an endpoint in longitudinal analyses. These encompass studies involving PwDM ( Schmitz et al, 2013 ; Wang et al, 2019 ; Shamshirgaran et al, 2020 ; Ho et al, 2022 ; Matlock et al, 2022 ; Park et al, 2022 ), as well as other illnesses such as chronic diseases ( Le Grande et al, 2006 ; Dunn et al, 2013 ; Yoo et al, 2016 ). It is important to understand the longitudinal trajectories of QoL in PwDM and the factors that impact future QoL.…”