Abstract
Background: Little is known about the quality of life of older persons (OPs) in Uganda in particular, and Africa in general. This study examined factors associated with quality of life of older persons in rural Uganda. Method: We performed a cross-sectional survey of 912 older persons from the four regions of Uganda. Data were analyzed at univariate, bivariate and multivariate level where ordinal logistic regression was applied. Results: Older persons in northern (OR=0.39; CI=0.224-0.711) and western (OR=0.33; CI=0.185-0.594) regions had poor quality of life relative to those in central region. Those who were HIV positive had poor quality of life (OR=0.45; CI=0.220-0.928) compared to those who were HIV negative. In contrast, living in permanent houses predicted good quality of life (OR=2.04; CI=1.391-3.002). Older persons whose household assets were controlled by their spouses were associated with good quality of life (OR=2.06;CI=1.032-4.107) relative to those whose assets were controlled by their children. Conclusion: Interventions mitigating the HIV and AIDS related Quality of life should target older persons. The government of Uganda should consider improving housing conditions for older persons in rural areas.
Highlights
The world is experiencing remarkable and irreversible demographic changes as many people are living longer than ever before[1]
Western region had the largest proportion of respondents with poor quality of life (52%; p
Quality of life was poorer among older persons who were using other sources of energy for lighting like torch and candle
Summary
The world is experiencing remarkable and irreversible demographic changes as many people are living longer than ever before[1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses 50 years and above to define older persons for Africa[4], this study used United Nation’s definition of age 60 years and older, since Uganda’s life expectancy is 63 years[5]. Little is known about the quality of life of older persons (OPs) in Uganda in particular, and Africa in general. This study examined factors associated with quality of life of older persons in rural Uganda. Results: Older persons in northern (OR=0.39; CI=0.224-0.711) and western (OR=0.33; CI=0.185-0.594) regions had poor quality of life relative to those in central region. Older persons whose household assets were controlled by their spouses were associated with good quality of life (OR=2.06;CI=1.032-4.107) relative to those whose assets were controlled by their children. The government of Uganda should consider improving housing conditions for older persons in rural areas
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