Study on the factors influencing the quality of life of older adults

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to identify the factors influencing the quality of life of retired older adults from urban areas in Romania. The research question is whether their socio-demographic indices, chronic conditions, body mass index, eating habits, sleep, way of spending free time and physical activity correlate with the Quality of Life Index. The research included 172 retired older adults from urban areas in Romania, who expressed their interest in the activities proposed by the research team to promote a healthy lifestyle and who met the required inclusion criteria. To identify the factors influencing the quality of life of older adults in Romania, all participants were invited to complete the Quality of Life Questionnaire – Short form (WHOQOL-BREF) proposed by the World Health Organization. In addition, the research participants completed a questionnaire that included items about: certain socio-demographic characteristics; health status; height, weight; eating habits; night sleep; way of spending free time. Participants indicated the leisure activities performed in the previous week and filled in the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Statistics showed that the Quality of Life Index did not correlate with the marital status, gender, level of education and monthly income of the research participants or the PASE total score. It can be highlighted that, for the older adults investigated by us, the most important factors for their quality of life are: health, diet, sleep, spending free time and, to a certain extent, physical activity. Among the PASE indices, the Quality of Life Index poorly correlated only with leisure physical activity.