WHOQOL BREF Research Articles

Assessment of health related quality of life of elderly diabetic patients attending urban primary health care facility - a cross sectional study

Background: ‘Ageing’ is associated with decline in many body functions; and lifetime exposure to health hazards has an impact on elderly who contend with the “double burden” of non-communicable diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, etc., Indian elderly are more prone for chronic disease like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and hence measuring health related quality of life among them is essential to plan interventions at primary care settings. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 400 elderly patients aged 60 years and above with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus attending outpatient department of urban primary health care facility of Belagavi city. The quality of life was assessed using modified WHO-QOL BREF questionnaire under 4 domains viz. physical health, psychological, social relationship and environment. Results: Among the participants 46% were men and 54% were women. The total scores for all the domains overall ranged between 15.75 and 73.5 with a mean score of 40.26 and a standard deviation of 11.14. The mean scores in physical, psychological, social and environmental scores were 44.21±8.50, 40.27±8.83, 36.69±14.62 and 39.9±12.58 respectively. Hypertension though the most common morbidity noted, but did not have statistically significant difference in any domains (P<0.05). Conclusions: The health related quality of life among elderly diabetics was lower in social domain as compared to other domains. Socio-economic status and Education levels were associated with poor quality of life scores. Emphasis on quality of life assessment of elderly diabetic patients is imperative in comprehensive management.

Quality of Life and Level of Anxiety in Patients after Gallbladder Surgery

Introduction: Cholelithiasis involves the presence of gallstones that form in the biliary tract, usually in the gallbladder. Symptomatic cholelithiasis is an indication for surgical treatment. Quality of life and patient satisfaction following surgery is an important aspect in predicting treatment outcomes. Aim: Measurement of of life, including the level of anxiety state and dynamics of changes of individual components (physical, mental, social, and environmental) over time (from qualifying for operations and the postoperative period, up to 6 months after surgery) in patients undergoing open and laparoscopy cholecystectomy. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 105 people at the Clinical Department of Surgery, County Hospital in Tychy. The patients were divided into two groups, laparoscopic surgery (n = 83) and classical (n = 22). Tests on selected patients have been carried out before the operation, 1 month after and 6 months after surgery with the quality of life questionnaire WHOQOL BREF and Inventory status and the guild anxiety STAI X1. The results were compared using statistical methods. Results: In the group treated by laparoscopy better of life and lower levels of anxiety were observed after 6 months of treatment. Before surgery and one month after the procedure, significantly lower values of physical and mental disciplines were reported in the group operated laparoscopically than in patients operated by the classical method. Conclusion: In patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery higher of life and lower levels of anxiety in the 6 month follow-up were observed, compared to patients operated conventionally.

Health related quality of life in pregnant women with diabetes or mild hyperglycemia

ABSTRACT Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a public health concern spread worldwide. Maternal diabetes in pregnancy increases risk of adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes; therefore; affecting the women´s quality of life (QOL). Objective: To evaluate quality of life in pregnant women with diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes or mild gestational hyperglycemia. Study Design: This is a prospective and longitudinal study. The sample comprised 105 pregnant women, i.e. 66 Hyperglycemic (HG) and 39 Normoglycemic (NG). The validated WHOQOL–BREF/ QUALITY of LIFE ASSESSMENT questionnaire was applied at the first prenatal appointment or at time of disease diagnosis; and re-applied at delivery admission or at 36-37 weeks’ gestation. Results: Most pregnant women considered good QOL at early pregnancy, but not at late pregnancy. In general, they were satisfied with their quality of life. NG pregnant women were more satisfied than their HG counterparts. At the onset of the gestational period the HG group obtained lower scores in the physical domain than the NG group. At the end of the gestational period, the scores on physical, psychological and environmental domains were significant lower in pregnant women with diabetes or hyperglycemia. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that pregnant women with diabetes or hyperglycemia were compromised in certain aspects of quality of life. Keywords: Pregnancy, Diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, life quality, outpatient treatment, hospital

Association of psychiatric morbidity with quality of life among late adolescent girls: exploring the iceberg

Background: Adolescents constituting major chunk of the population, though seem to be healthy group, and are affected by various ailments among which mental disorders constitutes considerable proportion which often begins in adolescence is both preventable and treatable. Less described in the literature is the association between quality of life and a wide range of psychopathology in adolescents especially among girls and henceforth this study was conducted to determine the association between psychiatric disorders and quality of life among late adolescent girls. Methodology : This cross-sectional study was conducted in a randomly selected pre-university and degree college in Mysore city, Karnataka, India for a period of one year among adolescent girls 16-19 years. Sample size estimated was 683. Mini international neuropsychiatric interview, Version 6.0 was used to diagnose psychiatric morbidity and WHOQOL BREF Questionnaire was used to collect data on Quality of life. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS V.22 .Proportions was calculated, Mann-Witney U Test was used to see the association of psychiatric morbidity with Quality of life. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictability of psychiatric morbidity by various domains of quality of life. Results: Analysis showed that overall prevalence of mental health disorders was found to be 15.5 % with major depressive disorder being the most common accounting to 37% There was significant association seen between psychiatric disorder with overall quality of life and physical, psychological, social and environmental domains of QOL (p<0.05). On binary logistic regression overall quality of life was found to be independent predictor of psychiatric morbidity. Conclusion: Overall quality of life was found to be independent predictor of psychiatric morbidity.

Association of quality of life of carers with quality of life and functional independence of stroke survivors

Background:Stroke has a great impact not only on patients’ but also on their caregivers’ lives. Carers may experience high levels of burden that can result in deterioration of their health status, social life, and well-being. Association between quality of life (QOL) of carers and that of stroke survivors in Indian setting is not much researched.Aims and Settings:To find out QOL and mental health of caregivers of individuals with stroke visiting Physiotherapy Department of Tertiary Care Center in Western India.Design and Methodology:A cross-sectional survey to find QOL and mental health of caregiver of stroke survivors, self-administered screening instrument WHO-QOL BREF, functional independence measurement (FIM) scale, and BRIEF COPE were used for data collection on adult populations.Statistical Analysis Used:The statistical analysis was performed by descriptive analysis and correlation.Result:Fifty-four stroke patients and their caregivers (all adults) were included in the study. Average FIM score was 83.75 (18.46) while median was 90 (25). FIM score of patients did not much affect QOL of caregivers.Discussion:Analysis of QOL data showed that QOL of caregivers was good in all domains, but patient's QOL was good only in social relations. There was no correlation found in QOL of carers and stroke survivors. Nine percent of change in caregivers social relationship scores can be attributed to patients’ sphincter scores.Conclusion:QOL of carers and stroke survivors may be independent. Stroke patients in the study required a moderate assistance for their functional independence which does not seem to affect the caregivers QOL significantly.

Level of physical activity and quality of life: a comparative study among the elderly of rural and urban areas

Objective : To investigate if the relationship between physical activity level (PAL) and quality of life (QOL) is affected by living environment (rural or urban). Method : A quantitative, observational and cross-sectional study was performed. Of the 40 participants of both genders, 20 were residents of urban areas and 20 were residents of rural areas in the town of Pimenta Bueno (RO), Brazil. The WHOQOL BREF and IPAQ Long Version questionnaires were used to assess QOL and PAL, respectively. Mann Whitney and Fisher's Exact were used to statistically compare groups for QOL and PAL scores. The correlation between the two was tested by the Spearman test. A significance level of p&lt;0.05 was used. Results : No differences between the rural and urban areas for QOL or PAL were found. In the rural group a positive and significant correlation was found between PAL and the physical, psychological and complete QOL domains. In terms of PAL, elderly persons from the rural area who were regularly active had higher total QOL and physical domain scores than insufficiently active elderly individuals from the rural area. When place of residence was compared, insufficiently active elderly in the urban area had higher scores on the social component of QOL than insufficiently active elderly from the rural group. Among regularly active seniors, those living in the rural area had higher physical QOL scores. Conclusion : According to the results, level of physical activity exerts a differential influence on the QOL of elderly people from rural and urban areas.

Gain weight and sleep desynchronization in workers of a tertiary hospital

Materials and methods Cross-sectional study conducted between April 2013 and December 2014. Sociodemographic data were evaluated and for the quality of life we used the WHOQOL BREF. Cronotypes and daily preferences sleep were investigated by Chronotype Questionnaire Munich (MCTQ ). Sleep quality was assessed by questionnaire Pittisburgh Sleep Quality Index. Physical examination was performed and venous blood was collected in fasting for 12 h for laboratory analysis.

Quality of life of people with non communicable diseases

AbstractHypertension, Diabetes mellitus or both and asthma are very common chronic diseases among Indian rural population which needs continuous monitoring and treatment. Knowledge on disease management, lifestyle, and health care facilities are available which will have direct impact on their Quality of Life. Purpose: Purpose of the study was to identify the quality of life of people living with non-communicable diseases. The study will be helpful to provide need based care and to develop strategies to improve quality of life of community. Methods: A descriptive survey to assess the quality of life of people with non-communicable diseases measured by using WHO QOL BREF scale through interview method. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 200 subjects from selected villages of Udupi District. Result: showed that majority of subjects felt their quality of life was good [Median=4, IQR=3-4]. Majority of subjects [median=3, IQR=3-4] were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied towards their health. Compare to other domains psychological domain has Median=20, IQR=19-21 represents low quality of life. Overall quality of life of subjects with median=93 and IQR= 89- 98 represents good quality of life. Analysis based on diseases showed that people with diabetes mellitus had good quality of life as compared with people with other diseases. There was significant association between quality of life of subjects and age, education, occupation and marital status (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Study concluded that majority of the subjects were perceived their quality of life was good especially with those who have diagnosed as diabetes mellitus.

Quality of life of individuals with disabilities - concepts and concerns

Introduction: The number of people with disabilities has grown tremendously for the last 15 years in Bulgaria. Standardized quality of life instruments can be helpful in the development of public policies which target the needs of this population. The quality of life (QoL) paradigm is a challenging perspective for considering, planning and implementing changes within the area of disabilities. Moreover, an interview with a disabled person about her/his subjective health is a human care with a positive impact on the overall well-being of the individual. This paper aims at stimulating a debate on these topics by investigating the “QoL” and “disability” territories. Further, a study on QoL of individuals with disabilities is presented. The objectives of this study are: (1) to measure the QoL of a representative sample of 305 individuals with disabilities, who are patients from a general Territory Expert Medical Commission – TEMC * (St. Marina University Hospital, Varna) by using the WHO generic questionnaire (WHOQOL–BREF) - 26 questions; four-domains structure: Physical health, Psychological health, Social relationships, Environment. (2) To define the influence of the four domains on QoL. (3) To analyze the relationship between QoL and socio-demographic characteristics. (4) To assess the influence of physical pain on QoL. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 using a representative sample of the register of a general TEMC (n=305, >18 years old). Respondents were selected through the method of multi-stage random selection. Results: As a result of multiple-regression analyses it was found out that all the domains have influence on QoL but the most influential is the “Environment” domain (0.394), followed by “Physical health” domain (0.354), “Psychological health” domain (0.261) and “Social relationships” domain (0.169). The total multiple regression coefficient – R is 0.984 (R 2 =0.969). The patients who reported higher levels of pain – 95.80 % - have lower QoL. No relations were found between socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and their QoL. Nowadays, the TEMC mission has to cover not only expert assessment and integration of persons with disabilities into society. The TEMC mission should also involve the improvement of QoL of the people with disabilities. A medico-social approach for handicap-assessment is proposed as a prerequisite for sustainable development of the public health policies concerning people with disabilities.

Prevalence and Impact of Hepatitis on the Quality of Life of Patients.

BackgroundHepatitis is a disorder which is emerging as major health problem with increasing morbidity and mortality. Inappropriate management of this disease leads to several complications that can impair the health related quality of life (HRQoL) of the individuals. There, we designed this study to assess the HRQoL in patients suffering from hepatitis.Materials and methodsThis prospective, observational study was conducted for 2 months in patients with hepatitis. All patients with hepatitis were recruited in the study after giving written informed consent. The participants were given both World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHO QoL-Bref) and short form (SF-36) health survey questionnaires for assessing the quality of life (QoL) of patients. The participants were given counseling of lifestyle modification and underwent a thorough medical examination and a detailed history was taken.ResultsA total of 65 volunteers participated in the study, out of which 30 were control and 35 were patients suffering from hepatitis; hepatitis C was found to be more prevalent. The patients with hepatitis had a significantly poor QoL as compared to control. In hepatitis patients, physical health and physical functioning was better in males as compared to females. Social relationships were also good in males than females. But females had higher score in role limitation due to physical health, emotional wellbeing, social functioning, pain, general health as per SF-36 scores but it was not statistically significant.ConclusionHepatitis affected the HRQoL in Indian population and parameters seem to be heterogeneously affected in males and females.How to cite this articleMittal P, Matreja PS, Rao HK, Khanna PML. Prevalence and Impact of Hepatitis on the Quality of Life of Patients. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2015;5(2):90-94.

Study of Quality of Life in Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective To assess quality of life (QOL) in individuals with mild and moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their relationship with demographic, posttraumatic insomnia, and injury-related factors. Method The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted at Sawai Man Singh Medical College and group of hospitals over a period of 6 months from January 2013 to June 2013. The groups studied consists of 204 patients of mild and moderate TBI between 14 days and 1 year postinjury and equal number of controls by recruiting close relatives of the patients for comparison. Patients were assessed on semistructured sociodemographic proforma along with WHOQOL BREF, insomnia severity index, and GCS to assess QOL, insomnia, and severity of TBI, respectively. Result The number of participants included was 204. Mean age was 33.34 years. QOL was found impaired in all four domains of patients with TBI as compared with control group. The most unsatisfying domain among all was environmental health. None of the sociodemographic variables were associated with impaired QOL in TBI except duration and severity of head injury. Patients with longer duration (time since injury) of TBI and higher GCS had better QOL. Patients with insomnia had significantly poor QOL compared with those with TBI without insomnia. Conclusion QOL is an important aspect to be considered while management of TBI is performed especially during follow-ups. Impact of severity and the duration of injury with associated sleep problems have significant bearing on QOL.

Eficacia de la terapia cognitivo conductual en mujeres con cáncer de mama

Objective: The aim of this study was to show the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in a sample of patients with breast cancer, in order to reduce levels of anxiety and depression, and develop positive coping skills to improve the perception of quality of life. Method: The study subject were a sample of fifteen patients that had accepted to collaborate in the study, they signed an informed consent. They were receiving treatment in the area of oncology at Hospital Central “Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto” of the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The study began with one group of individual intervention, in a convenience sampling; with a measure of pre and posttest. We used three standardized test to measure the progress of the intervention. We used, the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), Whoqol Bref test (quality of life) and CAEPO (stress coping questionnaire for cancer patients). We used individual cognitive behavioral therapy an average of ten sessions for person, determined on the basis of a cognitive behavioral treatment manual, previously developed. Results: There have been certain statistically and clinically significant differences, we found among patients who participated in the study. In quality of life we observed differences on physical health domain, t=-2.75, p=0.016 and social relationships t=-2.17, p=0.048, We also found differences, in the anxiety subscale t=2.35, p=0.027 and overall HAD scale, t=2.81, p=0.014. With coping we observed differences, on denial sub-scale, W=74, p=0.048. It is concluded that cognitive behavioral therapy proved efficacy in the study sample.

WHOQOL-BREF Hindi questionnaire: Quality of life assessment in acetabular fracture patients.

Background:The incidence of acetabular fractures in India has increased over the past years but so has the operating skills of pelvi-acetabular trauma surgeons. The outcomes of surgical management need to be assessed so as to be able to devise proper treatment plan and execute the same during and after surgery, which in turn requires assessment of quality of life indices as well as functional scores. While there are studies assessing Harris Hip scores (HHS) and world health organization quality of life BREF (WHOQOL BREF) in the western population there is no study which assesses the same in Indian population. We designed this study to evaluate and define reference values for use of WHOQOL BREF Hindi scores in QOL Assessment in patients with acetabular fractures and to assess the relationship between it and HHS.Materials and Methods:118 patients with acetabular fractures who were treated surgically were included in this retrospective study. Assessment of reduction quality (Matta's radiological criteria), clinical outcome (HHS) and functional outcome (WHOQOL-BREF score) were done. The affect of age, gender, fracture displacement, hip dislocation, delay in surgery and associated injury on the clinical and functional outcome was evaluated.Results:The mean HHS was 90.65 (42–100) which showed an overall good to excellent outcome in 78.8% cases. WHOQOL-BREF Hindi score of domain-one was 63.06 ± 20.31 (13–94), of domain-two was 58.22 ± 19.57 (13–100), of domain-three was 70.49 ± 17.92 (13–100) and of domain-four was 64.48 ± 18.46 (13–100), which showed significant functional deficit in domain-one (P = 0.0001) and domain-two (P = 0.0001) but not in domain-three (P = 0.458) and domain-four (P = 0.722) when compared to score of general healthy population. The domain scores of general population norms were achieved in 59.3%, 61.9%, 69.5% and 66.1% cases in domain one, two, three and four respectively.Conclusions:Based on these results one can conclude that WHOQOL-Hindi questionnaire is good enough for assessment of QOL in addition to clinical measures in acetabular fracture patients.

Sociodemographic Factors Related to Quality of Life Among Premenopausal Women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Quality of life (QoL) of premenopausal women (PW) was assessed using primary data collected between September and December 2011. A 26-item questionnaire (WHO-QoL BREF) was administered to 285 apparently healthy women selected from two local government areas in Ibadan. The scores were categorized into poor (≤79.53) and good (>79.53) QoL. Multiple logistic regressions were used to study factors associated with QoL. The mean score for the overall QoL (OQoL) was 65.18 ± 11.35 (range = 81.25). The Cronbach’s alpha for all domains as well as the OQoL were within an acceptable range. The proportion of women with good OQoL was significantly higher in the urban areas (18.2 percent) than in the rural areas (9.2 percent) (p < .05). The proportion of respondents with good OQoL was significantly higher for women aged <20 years (37.5 percent) than older women (p < .01). Teenage participants were almost ten times as likely to have a good social relationship than participants above 35 years of age (odds ratio: 9.52; 95% confidence interval: 1.83–49.40). The authors’ results suggest that the WHO-QoL BREF is a reliable instrument for measuring QoL among PW in Nigeria. Younger PW and women in the urban areas were more likely to have good QoL.

Parkinson's Disease, Depression, and Quality-of-Life.

Background:Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) but is often under diagnosed and under treated leading to worsening of symptoms and deterioration of the quality-of-life of the people suffering from this disease.Aims:The current study aims to determine the correlation between depression and health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) domains in patients with PD.Materials and Methods:A sample of 65 consecutive patients attending the specialty Parkinson's clinic was assessed by a psychiatrist as part of the treatment protocol. Diagnosis of depression was done using the International Classification of Diseases-10 by a psychiatrist and depression was scored using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). QOL-BREF Malayalam version was used to assess quality-of-life in the patients.Statistical Analysis:One-way ANOVA was used to find the difference in the quality-of-life experienced by different age categories, duration of the disease, psychiatric co-morbidity. Independent sample t-test was used to find the difference in the quality-of-life experienced by genders, co morbid conditions and to find the difference in the scores on GDS and domains of WHO QOL BREF. Association of H and Y staging and duration of Parkinsonism with GDS Scores were computed using Pearson's Chi-square test.Results and Conclusions:There was a significant association of female gender and depression with the physical and psychological domains of QOL while the duration and staging of PD did not have any association with QOL Domains. Depression thus emerges as one of the main predictors of poor quality-of-life in PD.

Consistency of prediction across generation: explaining quality of life by family functioning and health-promoting behaviors.

The study aimed to investigate the consistency of relationship between family functioning, health-promoting behaviors, and quality of life across generations in joint families. The sample comprises of 79 joint families (N = 316 members, n = 79 grandparents (grandfathers = 27, grandmothers = 52) n = 158 parents (fathers = 79, mothers = 79), and n = 79 grandchildren (girls = 61, boys = 18)). Data were collected on Self-Report Family Inventory, SFI, Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, HPLP-II, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale BREF WHO QOL BREF. All three variables, i.e., family functioning, health-promoting behaviors, and quality of life, were modeled as latent variables. Analyses were conducted separately for each group. Results showed that in grandparents, family functioning predicted (β = .44, p < .01,) health-promoting behaviors (R (2) = .20), which in turn predicted (β = .26, p < .05) quality of life (R (2) = .85). Family functioning appears to have significant indirect effects (β = .34, p < .01) through health-promoting behaviors on quality of life. The model fit indices showed a good fit (IFI = .917, CFI = .910, RMSEA = .078) of the model of the data. For all other groups, i.e., fathers, mothers, and grandchildren, family functioning and health-promoting behaviors independently predicted quality of life (R (2) = .55, .67, and .54, respectively). Our results showed that family functioning and health-promoting behaviors are consistent predictors of quality of life across generations.

Validity and reliability of Finnish version of WHOQOL-Bref on adult population in Finland

The aim of this paper is to determine the WHOQOL–Bref population norms and describe the psychometric properties of the Finnish WHOQOL–Bref in relation to construct validity, discriminatory power and internal consistency in the general population. The data is from the Finnish HYPA survey, which combines telephone and personal visits interviews. Telephone interviews and posted questionnaires and register–based data were used for 18–79 year olds and face to face interviews with register data at age group over 79 years olds. The Cronbachs alpha, confirmatory factor and regression analysis show that the internal consistency and validity of the two general questions, and physical and psychological domain to be sufficient for research and QoL measurement purposes. The internal consistency of the domains in the sample for the physical, psychological, social relationships and environmental domains were 0.83; 0.78; 0.69; 0.67 respectively measured by alpha. The internal consistency for total scale was 0.89 which was near excellent (> 0.90).

Neuropsychological functioning in Wernicke's encephalopathy.

Context:Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is caused by thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency and most commonly found in chronic alcoholism and malnutrition. Clinically, the key features are mental status disturbances (global confusion), oculomotor abnormalities, and gait disturbances (ataxia). Apart from these clinical features, we can find deficits in neuropsychological functioning in patients with WE, which is more prominent after the improvement in the physical conditions. Neuropsychological functioning includes both basic cognitive processes (i.e., attention-concentration) as well as higher order cognitive processes (i.e., memory, executive functioning, reasoning), which is much vital for the maintenance of quality of life of an individual. However, unfortunately, in most of the cases, neuropsychological functioning is ignored by the clinicians.Materials and Methods:In this study four case reports of WE have been presented. The patients were taken from the outdoor department of Mental Health Institute, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha. Neuropsychological functioning was measured by administration of PGIBBD and Quality of Life was measured by WHO-QOL BREF Odia Version.Discussion:As described in the literature, among the three cardinal signs (global confusion, ataxia, and ocular sings), the first two were present in all cases, but nystagmus was present in only two cases. Memory dysfunction was so disabling that the persons were unable to maintain a good Quality of Life and occupational impairment was prominent. There are disturbances in recent, remote memory, immediate recall, delayed recall, and attention and concentration, ultimately creating both physical and mental disability. PGI-BBD findings also suggest the overall impairment in neuropsychological functioning other than memory, that is, executive functioning, visual acuity, and depth perception. Findings of WHO-QOL BREF suggest the impairment of four domains of QOL in all the cases, but the severity level varies from person to person.Conclusion:Like the three cardinal features, neuropsychological dysfunction in WE should be given importance, which is a most vital component for the maintenance of QOL. As a result, the disability produced by this condition can be well managed.

Predictors of Health Related Quality of Life in Adults 50 Years and Older

Background: Perceived health related quality of life (HRQoL) and measures of physical function are consistently measured to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. In older adults there are numerous measures of physical function. Purpose: To determine which measures of physical function are most closely associated with HRQoL in adults 50 years of age and older. Methods: 64 participants (54-93 years of age) completed assessments of HRQoL (Short Form Health Survey, Version 2 (SF-12v2 ) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL BREF)) and questionnaires related to self-esteem and physical activity. Participants were also assessed for six minute walk distance (6MWD), muscle strength, balance, gait, and lower extremity function (Short Performance Physical Battery; SPPB). Correlation analysis was performed between and within all dependent and independent measures. Forward Stepwise-Linear regression was performed to determine which independent measures predicted dependent measures. Results: The physical component score (PCS) and the mental component score (MCS) of the SF-12v2 were independent of each other unlike the domains of the WHOQOL BREF. The independent measures were best able to predict WHOQOL Physical Health (r2 =0.60), WHOQOL Psychological Health (r2 =0.58), and PCS (r2 =0.43). SPPB score best predicted PCS and WHOQOL Physical Health. The vestibular component of balance best predicted WHOQOL Psychological Health and Social Relationships. Self- esteem helped predict MCS, WHOQOL Psychological Health, and WHOQOL Social Relationships. 6MWD, muscle strength, and specific measurements of gait did not enter into any of the predictive equations for HRQoL. Conclusion: SPPB, vestibular component of balance, and self-esteem may be important tools in assessing HRQoL in older adults.

Menopausal symptoms and its effect on quality of life in urban versus rural women: A cross-sectional study.

Aim and Objective:To analyze the menopause-related symptoms and its impact on quality of life in post-menopausal women from urban and rural area.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional 1-year study was carried among women of urban (n = 490) and rural (n = 380) areas, attending the outpatient department in the urban area and a house-to-house survey in rural areas, by interviews with the help of a pretested semi-structured standard questionnaire. For assessment of the menopausal symptoms menopause rating scale (MRS) and for quality of life, World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHO QOL-BREF) questionnaire was used.Results:There was a significant difference between the MRS total scores of the urban (14.67 ± 6.64) and rural (16.08 ± 7.65) group. The somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms were high in rural women than in urban women. The results were not significant for urogenital subscale. The mean raw scores of physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environmental domains was more in urban than in rural women. The mean transformed scores (4-20) of physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environmental domains was more in urban than in rural women. The mean transformed scores (0-100) including the physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environmental domains was more in urban than in rural women. The result was not significant for physical health.Conclusion:The high proportions and the scores of MRS were observed in both rural and the urban women. The severity of symptoms was found more distressing for rural women. The quality of life in urban society was average and better than in rural women.