Survey Of Quality Of Life And Related Factors Of Elderly Population In Rural Chongqing China

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluation the status of quality of life (QOL) between different type elderly population in rural and to find out the relationships of activity to the quality of life.Method: The study used qualitative research methodology, including the analysis of transcribed interviews and the critical review of relevant literature. We developed a Quality of Life Scale for Elderly (QOL- E), which was to evaluate physical, social, psychological and material states synthetically, and evaluation the status of QOL of elderly population. There was 478 people aged 60 and elder has been choose to participated in the study with stratified cluster sampling method. Comparing the different type of elderly population attempt find out the social and environmental activities factor which influenced the QOL has been made .Result: QOL-E has good validity and reliability to assess the quality of life of elderly population in rural. But further research was necessary to improve the scale. The result showed that the QOL of participants elderly in rural Chonqing is low generally and worse than in urban ,the difference in the material conditions and social factor has been particularly noticeable. Most of elderly in rural are poor in the material and economic conditions of life, these people lack of cultural activities. At present, the rural elderly are most worried about the main issue : the economic income, personal and family's health. The economic income, status of personal health and service of health care are the most dissatisfied . Advanced age people , the sick elderly, widowed or unmarried elderly, single and the rear-elderly have worst QOL. Multiple regression showed that the main activity affect which influence the QOL of older persons in rural is health status, age, old-age mode of living, income, marital status and self-satisfaction.Conclusion: Study results suggest that improve their material living conditions and medical care and the enhanced their or their family's income are important to improve the quality of life of rural elderly. Elderly people in rural need more social concern. In particular a large number of the advanced age people, widowed elderly and the rear-elderly need more care in daily life and mental health.