Quality of life of elderly people in a rural area of West Bengal: A community-based study

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of life (QOL) among the elderly is a neglected issue, especially in developing countries, including India. This study aims to assess the QOL and its associated factors among the elderly population residing in villages of Singur, West Bengal. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 146 elderly participants (aged 60 years and above) selected using simple random sampling from Singur block from April to June 2017. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported comorbidities and QOL assessment was done using the validated Bengali version of EQ-5D-3L (EuroQol) questionnaire. Data entry and analysis were performed using SPSS version 16.0. Categorization of good and poor QOL was based on the median score. Results: Of 146 participants, 54.1% of the participants were found to have poor QOL. The mean (standard deviation) age of the study participants was 68 (5.87) years and 59% of the respondents were female. Most of the study participants (76.7%) had reported comorbidities. Higher percentage of participants reported problems in the dimensions of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression in both the 60–69 and >69 age groups. In multivariable logistic regression, increasing age, financial dependence, and the presence of one or more comorbidities were significantly associated with poor QOL after adjusting with the other variables. Conclusion: The findings suggest the need for effective health promotion strategies with an emphasis on the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Provision for geriatric care with counseling and social assistance such as old age pension will further help improve their QOL.