Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate and analyse the factors associated with health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in the Korean population aged 50 years and older.MethodsWe used data obtained from the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV-V) 2007–2012, a national, cross-sectional health examination and survey, for which representative data on the health, nutritional status, and physical activities of the Korean general population are collected by the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The sampling protocol for the KNHANES was designed to involve a complex, stratified, multistage probability cluster survey of a representative sample of the noninstitutionalized civilian population in South Korea using a cross-sectional design. The association between HR-QoL and socio-economic factors and medical comorbidities in adults aged 50 years and older was investigated using data from the KNHANES IV-V from 2007 to 2012 (n = 17,937). The EuroQol 5-Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D) was used to evaluate HR-QoL, and the factors associated with HR-QoL were analysed after adjusting for socio-economic and demographic factors, anthropometric measurements and clinical comorbidities.ResultsHealth status declined with ageing, and low socio-economic status had negative associations with health status. Gender had no association with health status. Among chronic medical conditions, arthritis and depression had significant associations with health status in older people when stratified by age and gender (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that older people may value the ability to perform daily activities, which may mean that it is necessary to pay more attention to the factors associated with musculoskeletal pain and emotional distress, as well as socio-economic status or chronic diseases.Trial registrationThe Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) is not a clinical trial registry, but the national health survey conducted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, to gather information on health and nutritional status of Korean population, to plan public health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of the efficiency of public health services required for setting up welfare and healthcare policies.
Highlights
To evaluate and analyse the factors associated with health-related quality of life (HR-Quality of life (QoL)) in the Korean population aged 50 years and older
General characteristics of the participants A total of 17,937 participants aged over 50 years were included, consisting of 7627 males and 10,310 females
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), HBP, coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke was higher in male group, but that of dyslipidaemia, arthritis, cancer and depression was higher in the female group (P < 0.05)
Summary
To evaluate and analyse the factors associated with health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in the Korean population aged 50 years and older. The individual perception of health status is representative of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). HR-QoL is indicative of an individual’s subjective evaluation of his own well-being and is a useful tool for predicting the mortality of a population group and serves as an outcome measure for the economic evaluation of healthcare services [1, 2]. The prevalence of chronic diseases increases, but in the past several decades, the developments of clinical interventions and prevention measures have reduced the age-adjusted mortality rate and increased the life expectancy of older adults. HR-QoL is a construct that focuses on individuals’ subjective perception of health status and consists of physical, mental, and social dimensions [3]. The evaluation of the EQ-5D, a useful tool for HR-QoL, was demonstrated [4, 5], and an analytic study that compared the validity of the EQ-5D and the SF-6D in patients with chronic pain suggested that the EQ-5D has higher construct validity and responsiveness than the SF-6D [6]
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