Abstract
OBJECTIVETo propose a cut-off for the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQOL-bref) as a predictor of quality of life in older adults.METHODSCross-sectional study with 391 older adults registered in the Northwest Health District in Belo Horizonte, MG, Southeastern Brazil, between October 8, 2010 and May 23, 2011. The older adults’ quality of life was measured using the WHOQOL-bref. The analysis was rationalized by outlining two extreme and simultaneous groups according to perceived quality of life and satisfaction with health (quality of life good/satisfactory – good or very good self-reported quality of life and being satisfied or very satisfied with health – G5; and poor/very poor quality of life – poor or very poor self-reported quality of life and feeling dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with health – G6). A Receiver-Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) was created to assess the diagnostic ability of different cut-off points of the WHOQOL-bref.RESULTSROC curve analysis indicated a critical value 60 as the optimal cut-off point for assessing perceived quality of life and satisfaction with health. The area under the curve was 0.758, with a sensitivity of 76.8% and specificity of 63.8% for a cut-off of ≥ 60 for overall quality of life (G5) and sensitivity 95.0% and specificity of 54.4% for a cut-off of < 60 for overall quality of life (G6).CONCLUSIONSDiagnostic interpretation of the ROC curve revealed that cut-off < 60 for overall quality of life obtained excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value for tracking older adults with probable worse quality of life and dissatisfied with health.
Highlights
The rapid aging of the population poses a challenge for the governments of many countries
Diagnostic interpretation of the Receiver-Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that cut-off < 60 for overall quality of life obtained excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value for tracking older adults with probable worse quality of life and dissatisfied with health
Around 56.3% of the older adults perceived their quality of life to be good or very good, and 7.9% as poor or very poor; 52.4% were satisfied or very satisfied with their health, whereas 23.0% considered it to be dissatisfactory or very dissatisfactory
Summary
The rapid aging of the population poses a challenge for the governments of many countries. The greatest challenge of the 21st century will be to care for the large number of older adults with poor levels of socioeconomic status and education and a high prevalence of chronic comorbidities Such comorbidities are responsible for physiological limitations, functional decline, loss of autonomy, increased dependence, social isolation, suffering and depression.[18]. By older adults, for health care prevention and maintenance programs requires greater investment in research into aging. In this population, the majority of situations of dependence are associated with chronic conditions. These conditions can be managed appropriately outside of hospitals or residences, above all in primary care
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