scholarly journals Quality of Life and Factors Influencing it: A Study Among People Living Near a Waste Treatment Plant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Thanh Phan ◽  
Gia Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Quynh Anh Dac Nguyen ◽  
Hieu Song Nguyen ◽  
Tin Trung Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The amount of waste generated has been increasing over the years, while the ability to dispose of it does not meet the needs at waste treatment plants (WTP), resulting in negative consequences on the natural environment and health of the residents living near these plants; these effects can significantly degrade their quality of life (QoL). Although previous studies on the impact of solid waste and wastewater treatment plants have focused on the health problems suffered by nearby residents, the impact of these plants has scarcely been discussed in the context of mental health, social relationships, and the environment. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the QoL as a comprehensive indicator of the impact the presence of a WTP has on nearby residents, and determine the factors that influence their QoL. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted involving 801 subjects, aged 18 and above, who live near the WTP of Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. The QoL of the subjects was quantitatively assessed using the World Health Organization's (WHO) QoL assessment scale (WHOQOL-BREF). The general, health, and environmental factors influencing QoL were identified using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: It was found that only 22.6% of the subjects have a good QoL. In particular, the proportions for good psychological health (6.9%) and environment (13.6%) were low, which may indicate an influence of the WTP. Significant factors that degraded the residents’ QoL are: a lower educational level defined by not graduating from high school (OR=2.78; 1.09−7.06), poor health status (OR=2.50; 95% CI: 1.56−4.01), dissatisfaction with water quality (OR=2.41; 95% CI: 1.10−5.25), and unacceptance of the WTP presence (OR=1.70; 95% CI: 1.11−2.60). Moreover, it was found that subjects living within 2 km of the plant had dermatological syndromes and digestive disorders more frequently than those who lived farther away from the plant. They also reported more complaints about water, air, and soil quality, which were probably due to the operation of the WTP. Conclusions: Burying and disposing of solid waste at the WTP could lead to a degradation of the surrounding water and soil environments, while its collection and transportation is believed to cause odor and dust. The efforts of responsible authorities to strictly supervise and inspect these activities at the WTP are essential, not only to protect the surrounding environment but also to improve the QoL of those who live near these plants.

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.


2020 ◽  
pp. 41-51
Author(s):  
Demetris Hadjicharalambous ◽  
Despoina Athanasiadi-Charchanti ◽  
Loucia Demetriou

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused feelings of desperation, fear, terror, anxiety while it has also brought radical changes in the quality of life and psychological health of people worldwide. The lockdown and social isolation measures due to the pandemic seem to have affected the working mothers' resilience, health, and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to examine how working mothers reacted during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the state-imposed quarantine affected their quality of life, their health, and their resilience. We designed and carried out a web-based survey in Cyprus with 208 participants, all working mothers. We administered two questionnaires, namely the World Health Organization Quality Of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF (WHO, 1998), which examines the quality of life, and the Self-evaluation Resilience Questionnaire (Resilience-Project EU, 2019), which assesses working mothers' resilience. The participants answered the questionnaires on the Internet platform Enklikanketa, from May 20 to May 30, 2020. The results showed that the state-imposed measures of social isolation in the form of quarantine had a negative impact on the psychological resilience and the quality of life of younger working mothers, of single working mothers, and of those working mothers who were residing in rural areas at the time. Working mothers who belonged to older age groups, those who continued to pursue activities and hobbies during the quarantine, and mothers who maintained a higher quality of life were affected less by social isolation measures. In conclusion, important protective and supportive factors to working mothers were family support, cooperation between their family members, the right working conditions, and job satisfaction.


Author(s):  
RAMYA R ◽  
SHARON ANN JOSE ◽  
MAMATHA K ◽  
SURYA NARAYANA KM

Objective: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a lifestyle disorder known to cause profound distress in the physical and emotional well-being of the patient that implicates the need for treatment and lifestyle management. Unawareness and ignorance among patients may be a predominant cause of compromised quality of life (QOL) that necessitates education from health-care professionals. The existing study was designed to assess the impact of counseling on QOL in the above patients. Methods: This hospital-based interventional study was carried out for 6 months. A total of 173 subjects were recruited for the study. The World Health Organization BREF, a validated, reliable tool to assess QOL was administered in two phases of the study, pre-interventional, and post-interventional phase. Awareness regarding disease and lifestyle modification were detailed by a clinical pharmacist to the patients, and its impact was assessed using suitable statistical techniques. Results: The average age of study participants was 23.9±4.5 years. Decreased QOL was observed in the women affected with PCOS when compared to healthy controls, wherein the psychological domain was the most affected. Post-intervention, a positive impact was reflected as higher scores in all the 4 QOL domains. Conclusion: Women suffering from PCOS exhibit varied symptoms which affect both physical and psychological health. The key factor in management is to create awareness on the complications of the disease and the lifestyle modification to minimize severity and progression. The study findings reveal that women with PCOS showed an improved QOL post participation in awareness programs imparted by the clinical pharmacists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Stella Epifanio ◽  
Federica Andrei ◽  
Giacomo Mancini ◽  
Francesca Agostini ◽  
Marco Andrea Piombo ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world in the year 2020 has put a strain on our ability to cope with events and revolutionized our daily habits. On 9 March, Italy was forced to lockdown to prevent the spread of the infection, with measures including the mandatory closure of schools and nonessential activities, travel restrictions, and the obligation to spend entire weeks in the same physical space. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on quality of life (QoL) in a large Italian sample, in order to investigate possible differences in QoL levels related to both demographic and pandemic-specific variables. A total of 2251 Italian adults (1665 women, mainly young and middle adults) were recruited via a snowball sampling strategy. Participants were requested to answer to an online survey, which included demographic and COVID-related information items, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). The results showed statistically significant differences in QoL depending on a number of variables, including sex, area of residence in Italy, and being diagnosed with a medical/psychiatric condition. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess QoL during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, therefore the present findings can offer guidelines regarding which social groups are more vulnerable of a decline in QoL and would benefit of psychological interventions.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1354
Author(s):  
Antioco Fois ◽  
Massimo Torreggiani ◽  
Tiziana Trabace ◽  
Antoine Chatrenet ◽  
Elisa Longhitano ◽  
...  

Prescribing a low-protein diet (LPD) is part of the standard management of patients in advanced stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, studies on the quality of life (QoL) of patients on LPDs are lacking, and the impact these diets have on their QoL is often given as a reason for not prescribing one. We, therefore, decided to assess the QoL in a cohort of CKD stage 3–5 patients followed up by a multiple-choice diet approach in an outpatient nephrology clinic in France. To do so, we used the short version of the World Health Organization’s quality of life questionnaire and compared the results with a historical cohort of Italian patients. We enrolled 153 patients, managed with tailored protein restriction in Le Mans, and compared them with 128 patients on similar diets who had been followed in Turin (Italy). We found there were no significant differences in terms of age (median 73 vs. 74 years, respectively), gender, CKD stage, and comorbidities (Charlson’s Comorbidity Index 7 vs. 6). French patients displayed a greater body mass index (29.0 vs. 25.4, p < 0.001) and prevalence of obesity (41.2 vs. 15.0%, p < 0.001). Baseline protein intake was over the target in France (1.2 g/kg of real body weight/day). In both cohorts, the burden of comorbidities was associated with poorer physical health perception while kidney function was inversely correlated to satisfaction with social life, independently of the type of diet. Our study suggests that the type of LPD they follow does not influence QoL in CKD patients and that a personalized approach towards protein restriction is feasible, even in elderly patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4-1) ◽  
pp. 180-203
Author(s):  
Elena Stukalenko ◽  

Digital technologies, ubiquitous in our daily life, have radically changed the way we work, communicate, and consume in a short period of time. They affect all components of quality of life: well-being, work, health, education, social connections, environmental quality, the ability to participate and govern civil society, and so on. Digital transformation creates both opportunities and serious risks to the well-being of people. Researchers and statistical agencies around the world are facing a major challenge to develop new tools to analyze the impact of digital transformation on the well-being of the population. The risks are very diverse in nature and it is very difficult to identify the key factor. All researchers conclude that secure digital technologies significantly improve the lives of those who have the skills to use them and pose a serious risk of inequality for society, as they introduce a digital divide between those who have the skills to use them and those who do not. In the article, the author examines the risks created by digital technologies for some components of the quality of life (digital component of the quality of life), which are six main components: the digital quality of the population, providing the population with digital benefits, the labor market in the digital economy, the impact of digitalization on the social sphere, state electronic services for the population and the security of information activities. The study was carried out on the basis of the available statistical base and the results of research by scientists from different countries of the world. The risks of the digital economy cannot be ignored when pursuing state social policy. Attention is paid to government regulation aimed at reducing the negative consequences of digitalization through the prism of national, federal projects and other events.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-22
Author(s):  
Fahmida Ahmed ◽  
Meherunnessa Begum ◽  
Md Abdul Wahab ◽  
Sayed Kamaluddin Ahmed

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a severe and debilitating anxiety disorder which causes severely impaired quality of life. The objective of the study was to assess the quality of life of the patients suffering from OCD. It was a cross-sectional study conducted from January 2011 to June 2011 among 46 patients who attended the out-patient department of the National Institute of Mental Health Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh and Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh by using purposive sampling technique. A Semi-structured questionnaire, Dhaka University Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DUOCS), World Health Organization Quality of Life-Scale Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorder, 4th edition (DSM-IV) were used in each case for this assessment. Results showed that mean age of the patients was (29.07±6.11) years, majority of the respondents (71.7%) were male, 63.0% were unmarried and 34.8% were students. Patients were least satisfied with social domain and patients having only obsession had lower mean score (23.54±1.80) in environmental domain than in patients having both obsession and compulsion (25.15±3.70). OCD patients having major conflict (52.2%) were least satisfied with environmental health domain and patients suffering from OCD for more than ten years (78.3%) had low score than those suffering for less than ten years (21.7%) in overall quality of life domain. Patients having strained family relationship (34.8%) were less satisfied to psychological health domain and patients getting medication (91.3%) had better quality of life in all domains than those getting no medication (8.7%).Bang J Psychiatry June 2015; 29(1): 18-22


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Stanisz ◽  
Ewelina Kolak ◽  
Dorota Branecka-Woźniak ◽  
Renata Robaszkiewicz-Boukaz ◽  
Przemysław Ciepiela ◽  
...  

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, and is usually treated surgically. Mastectomy has a great influence on the mental and physical condition of women. Breast reconstruction offers them a chance to improve their quality of life (QOL) and self-image.The main aim of the study was to gain knowledge about the impact of breast reconstruction on the QOL of women following mastectomy, and an analysis of the QOL after breast reconstruction, in the context of prosthesis effect assessment.Materials and methods: The study comprised 100 women following breast reconstructive surgery involved in 1 of the 7 “Amazon Clubs” (post-mastectomy women’s associations) in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, northwest Poland. The study was based on the author’s questionnaire, and a shortened standardized version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Statistical calculations were performed with StatSoft Statistica v10 software, adopting a significance level of p < 0.05.Results: The women who decided to have breast reconstruction surgery, noticed improved well-being (67%) and experiencedan increase in self-confidence (61%). The vast majority ofthe patients surveyed (93%) were satisfied with the effectof the prosthesis. Statistically significant differences in QOL were observed in the following spheres: rest and sleep, work capacity, negative feelings, and financial resources (p < 0.05) in relation to the evaluation of the prosthesis effect.Conclusions: 1. Breast reconstruction has a positive influence on improvements in well-being, increasing self-esteem, and the assessment of a more attractive appearance in women of all ages. 2. Breast reconstruction surgery has a positive impact on QOL and health in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains, especially in the women who are satisfied with the effects of the surgery. 3. A negative assessment of the breast reconstruction effect has an adverse influence on QOL. Identifying the factors affecting dissatisfaction with the post-operative outcome is crucial for a complete understanding of the subject, and for implementing measures aimed at improving the QOL of these women.Keywords: quality of life; mastectomy; breast cancer; breast reconstruction; breast surgery.


2019 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 03009
Author(s):  
Piotr Kosinskiy ◽  
Vladimir Merkuriev ◽  
Aleksey Medvedev

The article is devoted to the study of coal mining industry problems in a region and environmental and economic damage caused by its activities. It is found that the intensive development of coal mining industry is accompanied by negative environmental consequences associated with the impact on social and economic indicators of a region and the quality of life of the population. The methodology for analysis and evaluation of environmental and economic damage to a regional economy based on the loss of gross regional product (GRP) and associated with the loss of working time due to the incidence of the population, determined by the level of environmental pollution, was developed. The developed methodology solves the problem of evaluating the impact of environmental components not only on environmental and economic damage, characterized by GRP losses, but also on the quality of life of the population. In addition, the optimization nature of the presented model allows finding the economic potential of producers and the objective efficiency of enterprises, which will make it possible to compensate for damage caused by environmental pollution that is adequate to the negative consequences of their activities.


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