Physical Activity and Quality of Life in People With Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review

Objective This systematic review aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity and quality of life (QOL) in people with visual impairments. Methods: Electronic searches were performed in PubMed, SPORTdiscus, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science. Observational studies describing the relationship between physical activity and QOL in adults with visual impairments were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) adapted for cross-sectional studies was used to assess the quality of the studies. Results: Overall, 327 studies were identified, and eight met the inclusion criteria. All studies had cross-sectional designs and seven were performed in developed countries. Physical activity was assessed objectively by one study, and five studies used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire was the most used instrument to measure QOL. Six studies reported a positive relationship between physical activity and QOL domains, as follows: life satisfaction, activity limitation, fair or poor health, physically and mentally unhealthy days, psychological health, and overall QOL. Conclusion: People with visual impairments who are engaged in physical activity are more likely to have better QOL outcomes.

Correlations Between the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory and Other Commonly Used Questionnaires for Traumatic Brain Injury

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the correlations between the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) and other questionnaires commonly administered within military traumatic brain injury clinics. Setting Military outpatient traumatic brain injury clinics. Participants In total, 15,428 active duty service members who completed 24,162 NSI questionnaires between March 2009 and May 2020. Design Observational retrospective analysis of questionnaires collected as part of standard clinical care. Main Measures NSI, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and Military Version, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Abbreviated Version. Only questionnaires completed on the same date as the NSI were examined. Results The total NSI score was moderately to strongly correlated with all questionnaires except for the AUDIT. The strongest correlation was between the NSI Affective Score and the PHQ9 (r = 0.86). The NSI Vestibular Score was moderately correlated with the ABC (r = –0.55) and strongly correlated with the DHI (r = 0.77). At the item level, the HIT-6 showed strong correlation with NSI headache (r = 0.80), the ISI was strongly correlated with NSI difficulty sleeping (r = 0.63), and the ESS was moderately correlated with NSI fatigue (r = 0.39). Conclusion Clinicians and healthcare administrators can use the correlations reported in this study to determine if questionnaires add incremental value for their clinic as well as to make more informed decisions regarding which questionnaires to administer.

Correlations between Psychiatric Symptoms and Quality of Life in Patients with Psychological Disorders: Hospital-Based Retrospective Study

Little research has been conducted on the relationship between the five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5) and quality of life in patients with mood disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential effects of psychological symptoms on quality of life in patients with psychological disorders. We recruited 124 patients with psychological disorders from a psychological teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Data were obtained from medical records of all patients with a diagnosis of mood or adjustment disorder. We assessed psychological symptoms on the BSRS-5 and examined quality of life by using the Taiwanese version of the abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). We performed hierarchical linear regression analysis to explore the relationship between psychological symptoms and quality of life. The analysis revealed a significant correlation between the items on the BSRS-5 and WHOQOL and their correlations with the total scores on these assessments (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). Our findings indicated that scores on the BSRS-5 can predict scores on quality of life. This suggests that psychometrically measured psychological symptoms constitute critical determinants of quality of life.

Comparação entre a qualidade de vida, ansiedade e depressão de gestantes que vivem em zona rural e urbana em um município da Amazônia Brasileira

Este estudo teve como objetivo a comparação de gestantes que residem em zona rural e urbana em um município da região amazônica, em relação a qualidade de vida, níveis de transtorno mental comum, estresse e ansiedade. Uma pesquisa descritiva, do tipo exploratória. Uma amostra de 23 gestantes atendidas em um centro de saúde do município da Estância Turística de Ouro Preto do Oeste-RO, onde foram realizadas entrevistas com as gestantes, aplicando 04 instrumentos: Sociodemográfico, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - Short Form (DASS-21), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) e Self-Reporting Questionnaires (SRQ). Foi observado que o perfil sociodemográfico das gestantes são semelhantes em todas as variáveis pesquisadas. Em relação ao transtorno mental comum, não foi possível detectar alterações, onde todas apresentaram padrões de normalidade. No mesmo sentido, quando avaliado os níveis de ansiedade, estresse e depressão pelo DASS21, não houve alterações significativas. No entanto, a qualidade de vida das gestantes de zona urbana ficou abaixo, quando comparado com as das gestantes de zona rural, ou seja, as de zona urbana têm pior qualidade de vida nas facetas psicológico e social. Obter informações dos perfis das gestantes, é primordial para realização de ações na promoção da saúde delas e também assegurar uma gestação saudável para a gestante e seu filho.

A Computational Model of Similarity Analysis in Quality of Life Research: An Example of Studies in Poland

Due to the multidimensional structure of the results of similarity studies, their analysis is often difficult. Therefore, a compact and transparent presentation of these results is essential. The purpose of the present study is to propose a graphical representation of the results of similarity analysis in studies on the quality of life. The results are visualized on specific diagrams (maps), where a large amount of information is presented in a compact form. New similarity maps obtained using a computational method, correspondence analysis, are shown as a convenient tool for comparative studies on the quality of life of different groups of individuals. The usefulness of this approach to the description of changes of the quality of life after the retirement threshold in different domains is demonstrated. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire was used to evaluate individuals in Poland. By analyzing clusters on the similarity maps, two groups (employees and retirees) were classified according to their quality of life in different domains. By comparing the structures of the classification maps containing the information about the whole system considered, it is clearly seen which factors are important in the comparative studies. For the considered problems, the uncertainty coefficients describing the effect size and preserving the information on the symmetry of the variables that were used for the creation of the contingency tables were evaluated.

Vulnerability and quality of life of older persons in the community in different situations of family care

ABSTRACT Objective: to correlate socio-contextual aspects, physical vulnerability and quality of life of older persons in the community in different situations of family care. Methods: epidemiological, a cross-sectional and analytical study, with elderly people in the community (n=769), with application of the instruments: Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13), World Health Organization Quality of Life for Older Persons (WHOQOL-OLD) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF); and socio-contextual data questionnaire. Results: the population assessed presented an average of regular quality of life in both the WHOQOL-BREF and the WHOQOL-OLD. Older non-vulnerable persons (62.2%) and those with close family contact (82.6%) have a better quality of life than the vulnerable (p<0.0001). Conclusion: lower quality of life scores and more distant families are related to vulnerable elderly people; thus, the assessment of family proximity and physical vulnerability of older persons is shown to be an important factor in improving quality of life.

Global Core Indicators for Measuring WHO’s Paediatric Quality- of-care Standards in Health Facilities: Development and Expert Consensus

BackgroundThere are currently no global recommendations on a parsimonious and robust set of indicators that can be measured routinely or periodically to monitor quality of hospital care for children and young adolescents. We describe a systematic methodology used to prioritize and define a core set of such indicators and their metadata for progress tracking, accountability, learning and improvement, at facility, (sub) national, national, and global levels.MethodsWe used a deductive methodology which involved the use of the World Health Organization Standards for improving the quality-of-care for children and young adolescents in health facilities as the organizing framework for indicator development. The entire process involved 9 complementary steps which included: a rapid literature review of available evidence, the application of a peer-reviewed systematic algorithm for indicator systematization and prioritization, and multiple iterative expert consultations to establish consensus on the proposed indicators and their metadata. ResultsWe derived a robust set of 25 core indicators and their metadata, representing all 8 World Health Organization quality standards, 40 quality statements and 520 quality measures. Most of these indicators are process-related (64%) and 20% are outcome/impact indicators. A large proportion (84%) of indicators were proposed for measurement at both outpatient and inpatient levels. By virtue of being a parsimonious set and given the stringent criteria for prioritizing indicators with “quality measurement” attributes, the recommended set is not evenly distributed across the 8 quality standards. ConclusionsTo support ongoing global and national initiatives around paediatric quality-of-care programming at country level, the recommended indicators can be adopted using a tiered approach that considers indicator measurability in the short-, medium-, and long-terms, within the context of the country’s health information system readiness and maturity. However, there is a need for further research to assess the feasibility of implementing these indicators across contexts, and the need for their validation for global common reporting.

Burden and quality of life in caregivers of obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia: a case-controlled study

Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia both are chronic and disabling mental illness which imposes considerable burden on caregivers. Many studies have also reported that both of them have a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) of both the patients and the caregivers living with the patients. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the burden of care and quality of life (QoL) in the care givers of patients with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Schizophrenia.Methods: The present study is a hospital based, cross-sectional and comparative study. 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients and their caregivers attending the OPD and family ward of Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Agra were selected through purposive sampling with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (BREF version), Burden Assessment Schedule, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) were used for assessment.Results: The findings of this study revealed remarkable burden in the caregivers of OCD and Schizophrenia patients along with considerable and comparable impairment of their quality of life. Caregivers of Schizophrenia patients experienced more burden and have poor quality of life than the caregivers of OCD patients.Conclusions: It is suggested to develop effective strategies for family intervention with the purpose of supporting the caregivers and improving their quality of life.

Qualidade de vida e estado nutricional de idosos institucionalizados e não institucionalizados

Objetivo: Associar os domínios de qualidade de vida com o estado nutricional e idade de idosos não institucionalizados e residentes em Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos (ILPIs). Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo, transversal, de natureza quantitativa, com 105 idosos não institucionalizados atendidos em uma Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF), município de Lajeado-RS, e 245 idosos institucionalizados residentes em ILPIs públicas e privadas, no Rio Grande do Sul. Utilizou-se o Questionário de Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida The World Health Organization Quality of Life – WHOQOL-bref composto de 26 questões, de escala hedônica de 1 a 5. Realizou-se aferição do peso e estatura, para determinar o índice de massa corporal (IMC) e classificar o estado nutricional conforme Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde (2002). Consideraram-se significativos os resultados a um nível de significância máxima de 5%. Resultados: O maior escore de qualidade de vida dos idosos observou-se no domínio psíquico 45±27,53, seguido do ambiental 41,46±18,23, social 40,82±30,68 e físico 39,28±20,10, sendo que os domínios de qualidade de vida foram significativamente superiores entre os idosos com 60 a 69 anos (p≤0,01), com estado nutricional classificados como obesidade (p≤0,01) e os não institucionalizados quando comparados com os institucionalizados. Conclusão: A percepção dos domínios de qualidade de vida dos idosos estudados foi maior no domínio psíquico e menor no físico. Os idosos mais jovens, com obesidade e não institucionalizados demonstraram uma melhor percepção da qualidade de vida em todos os domínios.

Impacto do distúrbio do sono na qualidade de vida dos profissionais de enfermagem

O objetivo desse estudo foi analisar os impactos causados pelo distúrbio do sono na qualidade de vida dos profissionais de enfermagem. Para tal foi realizada uma pesquisa descritiva, quantitativa, com 40 profissionais de enfermagem que atuam nas unidades de terapia intensiva em um hospital público de Teresina-PI, nos meses de fevereiro à abril de 2021. Os questionários utilizados foram Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index e The World Health Organization Quality Of Life-Bref, via Google Forms. Os dados coletados foram armazenados em planilhas eletrônicas do Microsoft Excel 2010 e analisados com o programa Statistical Package of Social Science versão 20.0. Como resultados tem-se que os componentes do questionário do sono mais afetados foram: qualidade subjetiva, latência, duração e disfunção durante o dia. A má qualidade do sono foi observada em 95% dos participantes, sendo a insônia apresentada em 13%. Quanto ao questionário de qualidade de vida, 50% avaliaram-na como boa e 40% estão insatisfeitos em relação à saúde. As pontuações de cada domínio foram transformadas em uma escala de 0-100; médias mais altas sugeriram melhor qualidade de vida. O domínio mais comprometido foi o meio ambiente (relacionado ao ambiente doméstico, recursos financeiros, lazer e meio ambiente). As facetas mais afetadas foram: sono e repouso, sentimentos positivos, atividade sexual, recreação e lazer. Assim verificou-se que grande parte da amostra sofre ou já sofreu de distúrbios do sono. Desta maneira, a qualidade do sono é um fator que afeta a qualidade de vida.