The Impact of Gender and Age on Health and Quality of Life of Older People in Galle District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Sri Lanka’s population is rapidly aging. Quality of Life (QOL) of older people in many countries is in jeopardy at present and Sri Lanka is no exception. QOL among the older people is often associated with physical deterioration along with their health conditions. Objectives: This paper describes QOL and health status of older people in Galle and the impact of gender and age on QOL of them.

Methods: A cross sectional study was done using a random sample of older people aged 60 years and above living in Galle district. A pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, World Health Organization Quality Of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scale, Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale (CES-D Scale) were used to collect data. These scales were validated and used in community surveys in Sri Lanka. Health status was measured by assessing health conditions using available health records. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used in the analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka. Results: A total of 396 older people participated in the study. Mean age of the participants was 69 (±7.2) years, and the majority were females (n = 268, 67.7%). Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, joint related diseases and vision problems were common in this target population. Older women were more likely than older men to suffer from joint related disease and older men were more likely than older women to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and hearing deficiencies. There was no gender difference of the mean ADL values, but those of aged 70 or more years reported slightly lower mean ADL value than those of 60-69 years (98.46 vs 99.60, p < 0.01). No gender or age differences of the mean CES-D values and mean MMSE scores were found. The mean value of QOL of younger older people were slightly higher than that of others (308.4 vs 296.6, p < 0.01), but no gender difference was found. Conclusion: Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis and vision problems are prevalent in older people in Galle. Health authorities should pay attention to reduce incidence rates of these diseases and particular attention should be paid to provide healthcare facilities to older women with joint diseases. Interventions that support active lifestyle in older people in advanced ages would probably facilitate them to enhance their QOL.