Quality of life and its determinants among hypertensive patients in a rural area of district Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh - A community-based cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Hypertension is the leading cause of mortality and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) all over the world. World Health Organization defines quality of life (QOL) as an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns. The study was aimed to compare the the QOL of adult hypertensive patients with healthy study subjects and to determine the factors associated with poor QOL among the hypertensive subjects. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2021 to June 2022 in Gautam Budh Nagar District. The study was carried out among 250 hypertensive patients and 50 healthy persons based on World Health Organization-Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire Manual. Data collected were entered and statistically analyzed using statistical software (SPSS-22). Overall QOL and general health scores were significantly lower among hypertensive subjects showing worsening of QOL among diseased persons (P value <0.001). Factors significantly associated with poor overall QOL were low educational status (P value <0.001), home makers (P value <0.001), lower socio-economic class (P value < 0.001), and subjects with co-morbidities (P value <0.001). The findings revealed that QOL was poor among the hypertensive subjects as compared to healthy subjects.