Health Related Quality of Life of Women with Disabilities and Its Affecting Factors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influenced health related quality of life in women with disabilities. The other purpose was to examine the correlations of activities of these women's daily life, self esteem, and health promoting behavior with health related quality of life. The subjects consisted of 120 adult disabled women. Data was collected from February to June 2004 using structured questionnaires. Spearman's correlation, and multiple regression were used to test the quality of life with K-ADL, self esteem, and health promoting behaviors by using SPSS 12.0 for windows. The health related quality of life of women with disabilities was related to educational level, marital status, residential type, cause of acquired disability and disability of spouse. In addition, it was related to self esteem (r=.385, p=0.00), health promoting behaviors (r=.428, p=0.00), K-ADL (r=-.419, p=0.00) and K-IADL (r=-.439, p=0.00). Activities of daily life, self esteem and health promoting behaviors were significant predictors 37.3% (r=0.212, p=0.000) to explain quality of life in disabled women. The more self esteem, health promoting behaviors, K-ADL and K-IADL are positive, the more the health related quality of life is good. Further studies need to be done to investigate additional effects of health related quality of life and to investigate nursing approaches to improve their health related quality of life with significant predictors.