Quality-of-Life Assessment in the Old Using the WHOQOL 100: Differences Between Patients With Senile Dementia and Patients With Cancer

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Struttmann ◽  
Michel Fabro ◽  
Gilles Romieu ◽  
Guilhem de Roquefeuil ◽  
Jacques Touchon ◽  
...  

Introduction: The measurement of quality of life is an increasingly important issue, particularly in regard to treatment of severe and chronic diseases. The aim of this pilot study was to assess potentially divergent profiles of quality of life in persons with two different pathologies: moderate dementia and cancer. Method: This pilot study was carried out in the neurology and cancer services of the medical school in Montpellier, France (Hôpital Gui de Chaulliac and CRLC Val d'Aurelle). The cumulative self-reporting test WHOQOL 100 (World Health Organization Quality of Life with 100 questions) was administered in 57 patients with either moderate senile dementia (27 cases with a Mini-Mental State Examination score > 15; mean age of 73) or cancer (30 cases, mainly women with breast cancer; mean age of 53). The stability of responses was tested in a 2-week period. Results: Results of the study showed clear and significant differences between the two groups in the domains of mobility and psychology. Further, eight questions and six facets with a significant difference in responses were found. Responses seemed more stable in the domains of autonomy, social relationship, and religion for the cancer group, and in autonomy and psychology for the dementia group. The age difference may be an important factor in the different quality of life measured but did not significantly influence responses to the test questions. Conclusion: The WHOQOL 100 seems a powerful instrument to assess quality of life in diseases such as cancer and moderate dementia. In this study, interesting differences in responses to the test questions between the two pathologic conditions were identified. Items that were unreliable on retesting are singled out. These results will be applied and reevaluated in the development of future, illness-specific and shorter versions of the WHOQOL 100.

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S192-S192
Author(s):  
L. Utas Akhan

IntroductionStudies have found that the cognitive function levels of intellectually challenged children add a burden to the family and affect quality of life.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine the family burden felt by mothers of children, ages 6–16, whose mental capacity evaluation indicates an IQ of 35–79 to explore the mother's quality of life and discover the factors that yield an impact in this context.AimsThe main objective of this study therefore was to ascertain the family burden and quality of life experienced by the parents of children with mentally retarded or borderline mental capacity.MethodsThe WISC-R test was used in the research to determine the intellectual capacity of children, 6–16 years of age. The sample comprised 131 children and adolescents between the ages 6–16 with IQs in the interval of 35–79 and their mothers. The parents accompanying their children were assessed using the Family Burden Assessment Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument and a sociodemographic questionnaire that was filled out during face-to-face interviews.ResultsThe quality of life of the mothers was found to be average. At the same time, as the IQ level of the children went up, the less the mothers felt they were under a family burden. It was seen that the mothers experienced the most difficulty in the domains of “perception of inadequacy” and “emotional burden.”ConclusionMothers with intellectually disabled children need psychosocial support. Providing all members of the family with counseling services to help them cope with the issues and responsibilities involved in the care of disabled children may make a significant difference in quality of life.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.


2020 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnaz Zarshenas ◽  
Mozhgan Sorkhenezhad ◽  
Marzieh Akbarzadeh

Background: Uterine leiomyomas are considered as a major source of complications and the most common cause of hysterectomy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life in women with and without uterine leiomyoma referred to gynecology clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 126 patients who referred to the clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected and divided into equal groups according to uterine leiomyoma, 1 - 7 cm uterine leiomyoma group and non-uterine leiomyoma group by convenience sampling. The World Health Organization Quality of Life and Healthy Lifestyle questionnaires were used for data collection. Independent t-test was used to analyze the data. Results: The mean quality of life of women with uterine leiomyoma was 47.20 ± 12.41 and women without uterine leiomyoma had a significant difference (51.11 ± 11.23, t = 3.93, P = 0.041). The mean lifestyle of women with uterine leiomyoma was 114.18 ± 25.48 and women without uterine leiomyoma had 149.11 ± 23.81 (t = 4.01, P = 0.029). Conclusions: The mean score of quality of life and lifestyle were significantly different in women with and without uterine leiomyoma. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the quality of life of women by improving their lifestyle and providing psychological counseling.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Malavazzi Lima ◽  
Franciele Andrade Araújo ◽  
Fátima Ayres de Araújo Scattolin

Introdução: Nos últimos anos a expectativa de vida vem aumentando em todo o mundo. A manutenção da capacidade funcional e da qualidade de vida (QV) dessa população é um dos desafios da atualidade. Objetivo: Avaliar a QV e a independência funcional de idosos frequentadores do Clube do Idoso do município de Sorocaba e investigar a correlação entre essas medidas. Métodos: Participaram idosos de ambos os sexos com idade ≥60 anos. Foram utilizados: Instrwumento de Caracterização Sociodemográfica; World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-Old (WHOQOL-OLD) e Medida de Independência Funcional (MIF). Análises estatísticas realizadas: teste de Mann-Whitney e teste de Kruskal-Wallis para comparação entre os escores e o coeficiente de correlação de postos de Spearman para verificar a correlação entre os instrumentos. Resultados: Participaram 71 idosos, 69,01% mulheres, 56,34% com idade entre 60 e 69 anos, 33,80% casados e 83,10% aposentados. Não houve diferenças significativas quanto ao sexo para os dois instrumentos e quanto à idade nos escores do WHOQOL-OLD. Os idosos ≥80 anos apresentaram queda da independência funcional (p<0,001) e aqueles com mais anos de estudo apresentaram maior independência funcional e avaliaram melhor a QV global. Houve correlação diretamente proporcional entre escores da MIF e QV. Conclusão: Este estudo apontou que a funcionalidade está diretamente ligada à QV. Daí a importância dos grupos de terceira idade como forma de favorecer a prática de atividade física e aumentar a interação social, fatores essenciais na proteção e promoção da saúde e da QV dessa população.


Geriatrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Margarida Goes ◽  
Manuel José Lopes ◽  
João Marôco ◽  
Henrique Oliveira ◽  
César Fonseca ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the WHOQOL-BREF(PT) (the questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life Grpup for quality of life assessment), when applied to Portuguese elderly people residing in a community setting. The psychometric qualities were assessed by confirmatory factor analysis. A hierarchical second-order model and a third model were performed, and all three models presented similar and reasonable adjustment indexes. The data analysis showed that the construct failed only regarding discriminant validity because the correlations between the first-order factors were higher, associated with lower values of average variance extracted. The psychometric qualities found in the original translation/validation of the WHOQOL-BREF(PT) were compared with those found in this study; this study found higher correlations between domains but a similar level of factor reliability. The findings of this study lead to three recommendations: (i) to compute each factor score for each participant using the factor score weights obtained from confirmatory analysis models instead of adopting a unitary weight for each item, as proposed by the authors of the original translation/validation of the WHOQOL-BREF(PT); (ii) to compute a QOL score, which is not included in the original translation/validation; and (iii) to analyze differences between individual scores for each participants, which should be done by a group of health experts.


2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHUN PING CHENG ◽  
TZE FANG WANG ◽  
FU IN TANG ◽  
NGOK KIU CHU ◽  
I JU CHEN

ABSTRACTThe significant time older people typically spend at home affects both their level of physical activity and quality of life. This prospective cohort study was designed to identify the effects that living in a high-rise residence retirement community has on physical activity and quality of life in older people with leprosy. The relocation group was comprised of study participants who had relocated voluntarily to a high-rise apartment building. The comparison group was comprised of study participants who had chosen not to relocate to that building. Data were collected using a personal information survey, Modified Baecke's Questionnaire, and the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF). The groups were significantly similar in terms of household activities, leisure time activities, total physical activity score, and quality of life physical and social aspects, and significantly different in terms of quality of life overall (F=7.864,p=0.006), psychological (F=5.403,p=0.021) and environmental (F=23.099,p=0.000) aspects. This study indicates that living in a high-rise apartment environment does not decrease physical activity and may promote overall quality of life, and psychological and environmental aspects, in retirement community residents. The findings enhance understanding of the effect of different living environments on physical activity and quality of life. Greater health professional participation in retirement community design to ensure such designs facilitate residents’ health and quality of life is recommended.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadeel Shanshal ◽  
Harith Kh. Al-Qazaz

Abstract Background: COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the entire world and one of its impacts was the increased level of stress and anxiety, especially among healthcare workers. Therefore, this study aims at evaluating the quality of life (QoL) and sleep quality of healthcare professionals in Iraq.Methods: This study assessed the QoL and sleep quality by using World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) respectively. The questionnaires were administered through an online cross-sectional survey targeted at workers in medical fields in Iraq from 1st to 20th of August 2021. Results: Three hundred medical health workers participated, and females constituted 75.3%. The two questionnaires had very good internal consistency. The highest scoring domain was the social relationships, followed by physical health. Significant difference was found in the mean scores of psychological health domain between males and females, with higher scores observed in males. The mean of the total ISI score was 11.58 ± 6.88 with a range between 0 and 27. Severe insomnia was observed in only 9.7% of the participants. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.118) was found between age and ISI scores of the participants. Significant differences were found between males and females with higher ISI mean score observed among males. Conclusion: The quality of life and sleep pattern can be impacted by COVID-19 infection with the psychological aspect of QoL being the most affected and some degrees of insomnia being observed in many participants.


Author(s):  
Damiana Aparecida Trindade Monteiro ◽  
Flávia Aparecida Dias ◽  
Daniel Vicentini de Oliveira ◽  
Matheus Amarante do Nascimento ◽  
Leiner Resende Rodrigues ◽  
...  

Objetivo: comparar a qualidade de vida (QV) de idosos hipertensos em função de variáveis sociodemográficas. Métodos: Pesquisa transversal da qual participaram 635 idosos, de ambos os sexos (212 homens e 423 mulheres), residentes na zona urbana de Uberaba-MG. Como instrumentos, foram utilizados um questionário sociodemográfico, o World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment versão curta (WHOQOL-BREF) e o WHOQOL-OLD. A análise dos dados foi conduzida por meio dos testes de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-Wallis (p < 0,05). Resultados: Os resultados evidenciaram que os homens apresentaram escore superior ao das mulheres em todos os domínios e facetas de QV (p < 0,05). Os idosos com mais de 80 anos, com companheiros (as), com maior renda mensal e com maior nível de escolaridade apresentaram melhor percepção de QV em detrimento dos idosos mais jovens, sem companheiro (a) , com menor renda mensal e pior escolaridade (p < 0,05) respectivamente. Conclusão: Concluiu-se que fatores sociodemográficos como sexo, idade, renda mensal, estado civil e escolaridade podem ser considerados elementos intervenientes na percepção de QV dos idosos hipertensos da zona urbana.


Author(s):  
Jamileh Malekuti ◽  
Mojgan Mirghafourvand ◽  
Khadijeh Samadi ◽  
Fatemeh Abbasalizadeh ◽  
Laleh Khodaei

Abstract Introduction Due to the effects of hemorrhoids on physical and mental health, this study aimed to compare the effect of Myrtus communis herbal and anti-hemorrhoid ointments on symptoms of hemorrhoid and quality of life (primary outcomes) and satisfaction of the treatment and side effects (secondary outcomes). Methods This triple-blind randomized controlled trial was performed on women with grade I and II hemorrhoid referring to health centers in Tehran, Iran, in 2017. Individuals were randomly assigned to two groups of 67 people through block randomization method. The intervention group received the Myrtus communis herbal ointment and the control group received anti-hemorrhoid ointment twice a day, every 12 ± 2 h, an applicator of the drug through the rectum for 4 weeks. The Colorectal Evaluation of a Clinical Therapeutics Scale (CORECTS) was used to assess the severity of symptoms of hemorrhoid. To assess the quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure the general quality of life of participants. This questionnaire was completed once before the start of the study, then on the fourth and the eighth week after the start of the intervention. Repeated measure ANOVA, Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U and independent t-test were used for data analysis. Results The severity of all symptoms of hemorrhoid decreased in both two group and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). However, the mean of anal itching at 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention was significantly lower in the Myrtus communis ointment group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of quality of life at 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention (p>0.05). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of satisfaction with the drug (p=0.019) and the participants in the Myrtus communis ointment group were more satisfied with their drug use. Conclusions Myrtus communis herbal ointment was able to reduce the symptoms of hemorrhoid in the affected women. Therefore, it is likely that the use of this drug will promote the health of mothers with hemorrhoid.


2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik D. Masthoff ◽  
Fons J. Trompenaars ◽  
Guus L. Van Heck ◽  
Paul P. Hodiamont ◽  
Jolanda De Vries

Objective: Quality of life (QOL) has become a topic of growing interest in medical and psychiatric practice in general, and in research in particular. Although the body of knowledge about the complex relationship between QOL and psychiatric disorders is growing, understanding this relationship still remains difficult. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to get more and new insights into this relationship. It was hypothesized that QOL would be negatively related to the presence as well as the severity of psychopathology. Method: A random sample of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients (n=410) completed the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment instrument, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-Bref). In addition, DSM-IV axis I and II diagnoses were obtained. Comparisons were made between scores of the psychiatric outpatients, diagnostic subgroups within this population, and the scores of a general population. Results: Compared with the general population, psychiatric outpatients scored significantly worse on all aspects of QOL. Within the group of outpatients, participants with DSM-IV diagnoses had worse scores than those without. Participants with comorbidity had the worst QOL. Conclusions: It is concluded that QOL scores are negatively related to both the presence and the severity of psychopathology, and that the presence of a personality disorder plays a role in subjectively experienced QOL.


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