Research On Quality Of Life And Its Influencing Factors Of The Elderly Staying In Rural Areas Of Jining

Objective To evaluate the quality of life of old people in rural areas , and to analyze its affecting factors, and to put forward strategies for raising their quality of life, and then to provide consulting basis for building up some interrelated polices through an investigation on the status of quality of life of the aged with 60 years and up staying in rural area in Jining.Methods With the application of a stratified, random sampling method, and the Chinese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Form, investigation is carried out in the living conditions of a total of 315 of those rural elder people above 60. Then a database is built using the software SPSS 11.0,with which statistical analysis is conducted by means of t Examination, Single Factor Variance Analysis, Multiple Factors Gradual Regression Analysis, Linearity Correlation Analysis and etc.Results The research is effectively conducted on a total of 315 rural elders, among whom the chronically ill counts for 64.44%, with 49.2% carrying more than two types of chronic diseases. The average contraction of diseases per person is 1.98, and among the top three are hypertension, arthritis, and stomach trouble. In the physiological domain their living standard scores 55.87±15.74,in psychological, 53.15±13.32, in social relations, 52.41±14.35, and in environmental, 48.33±13.6.Which are all below the standard by the Chinese Studies Center in the WHO Quality of Life Research Group. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05).Linearity correlation analysis showed that scores in subjective life and health quality appraisals in the above domains are all positively relevant and statistically significant (p<0.0001 ) .Single Factor Analysis showed that gender, age, education level, type of residence, occupation, source and levels of income, smoking, drinking, medical insurance, labor intensity, possession of chronic diseases, self-care ability, family harmony, loneliness, economic support from and visit by their children are all factors affecting the life quality of rural elders. Multiple Factors Gradual Regression Analysis showed that, in regression models of quality of life, self-care ability and level of income plays a most significant role, rating among the first three factors in all of the four domains; whereas although visits by children were not considered as a factor in physiological domain, it was ranked among the first three in other three domains, making itself an equally important factor ;family harmony and economic support from children influenced scores in all four domains, working together on the life quality,.Conclusion The quality of life of rural elderly in Jining is relatively low, and self-care ability and income levels are the most important influencing factors. Policies and measures should be implemented to increase their income, to improve rural medical security system, to enhance rural life and health services, to strengthen the prevention of chronic diseases, to vigorously carry out health education, as well as to instill self-health awareness, to enrich cultural and recreational activities, and to improve mental health. In a word, the functions of family and society in improving life quality of rural elders should be fully activated.