Assessment of Quality of Life among Elderly Patients Attending Primary Healthcare Centers in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Aim of study: To explore quality of life (QOL) among elderly population and to identify the factors associated with their QOL. Methods: Following an observational cross-sectional research design, this study included 405 elderly patients attending the primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was constructed and utilized for data collection. It included personal and socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, clinical data and the WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaire to assess participants’ QOL. Results: About half of participants (53.3%) were males, 65.7% was less than 70 years old, 89.4% were Saudi, and 68.1% were currently married. Regular exercise was practiced by 19.3% of participants, while 8.4% were smokers. About two-thirds of participants were hypertensive (64%), or diabetic (63.2%), while 49.6% had musculoskeletal diseases, about one third had visual problems (38.8%), eye diseases (34.8%), or dyslipidemia (33.6%), while 23.2% had heart disease. The mean overall percent score for WHOQOL was 66.4±11.4%, while the lowest mean percent score was for their physical health (64.5±11.4%), while that for psychological domain was 66.2±11.5%, that for social relationships was 68.1±17.7%, and for environment was 67.6±14.6%,while negative feelings were always felt by 4%, very often by 23%, and quite often by 45%. Participants’ WHOQOL mean percent scores differed significantly according to their age group (p<0.001), marital status (p<0.001), educational status (p<0.001), occupational status (p=0.001), monthly income (p<0.001), residence (p=0.004), and regular practice of exercise (p<0.001). Conclusions: Elderly people attending PHC centers in Aseer Region have suboptimal overall QOL, with their physical health being the lowest manifestation. Several chronic diseases are highly prevalent among elderly people, such as hypertension, diabetes, sensory problems, musculoskeletal diseases, heart and urinary diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to provide high attention toward geriatric care in order to enhance their QOL. Key words: Elderly, primary health care, Quality of life, life style, WHOQOL.