Study On The Factors Influencing The Quality Of Life Of The Older People In Chongqing

Objective: To detect the quality of life(QOL) status of older people inChongqing and explore the effect factor of QOL of older people, andprovide scientific basis for formulating the policies to improve the QOL ofolder people in Chongqing.Methods: Using the multi-stage cluster sampling method to get the sample,the medical outcomes study36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) wastaken to measure the QOL of older people by investigators who detected aface-to-face survey. Using univariate analysis to find the risk factor thateffect the QOL of the elderly, then using structural equation modelinganalysis with these risk factors to find out the relation of them.Results: We got a total of2665questionnaires, excluded51questionnairescause the deficiencies of some important issues; the survey effective rate is98.09%.1. In our study, the total score of QOL of older people in Chongqing was548.74±160.56, respectively, the Physical Functioning field score was72.53±26.42, the Role-Physical field score was64.08±44.54, the Bodily Pain field score was71.56±23.08, the General Health field score was48.19±22.05, the Vitality field score was61.29±14.95, the SocialFunction field score was90.55±21.93, the Role-Emotional field score was71.07±42.33, then mental health field score was66.27±13.00.2. The univariate analysis results showed that gender, age, the registeredresidence, government bailout member, educational attainment, smoking,exercise, brushing habits, the chronic disease, the elderly left behind,source of income, walking status, hearing status, visual acuity, talkingstatus and the need to take care of by other people were factors thataffecting the QOL of the older people in Chongqing.3. Using the structural equation modeling analysis to fit the theoreticalmodel, the fit indices were: GFI=0.998, AGFI=0.998, RMR=0.068,RMSEA=0.053, showed that the model fitting is acceptable. According tothe path coefficients for each factor, we can see that the generalsocio-demographic factor, physical activity factor and the chronic diseasefactor affecting the QOL of older people in Chongqing. And the effect ofchronic disease factor on the QOL is the most important with the pathcoefficient of-0.955, shows that suffering chronic diseases significantlydecreases the QOL of older people. The general socio-demographic factorshows a second important effect with the path coefficient of0.527, showsthat older people who living in city, with a higher education attainment,lower age, with a spouse, male seems to have a better QOL than those who not. The physical activity factor also affects the QOL of older people withthe path coefficient of0.464, suggests that older people with better physicalactivity and do not need to take care by the other people living a better life.Conclusion: The QOL of older people living in Chongqing were not good,and mainly reflect on the Physical Functioning field, Role-Physical field,the General Health field and the mental health field. The older people wholiving in rural areas, lower education attainment, higher age, withoutspouse, females are the focus crowd suffering a lower QOL, the chronicdiseases and the mobility impairments constrain the improvement of theQOL. Therefore, to improve the QOL of the elderly in Chongqing, weshould pay our attention on the focus crowd, and emphasis on the healtheducation and mental health of the elderly, strengthening community-basedrehabilitation and community care, the construction of pension agency.